The Knicks presumably have a great deal of confidence in Mitchell Robinson’s future. With that said, he’s a young, foul-prone center who still needs to iron out a few fatal flaws. The Knicks need someone to split the burden at center. Enter Zeke Nnaji, Arizona’s third prospect in the first round.
At 6-foot-11, Nnaji plays a different brand of basketball than Robinson. He’s a fluid athlete and an efficient finisher, yes, but his bread and butter lies outside of explosive verticality. Rather, Nnaji is extremely smooth. He is a witty, crafty scorer inside, and he is comfortable spacing out to the 3-point line for the occasional jumper. Nnaji will do a lot of the little things to help New York on offense.
Defensively, Nnaji will need to improve as a rim protector. With that said, he’s mobile in space and has more than enough heart to light a fire under the Knicks’ often stagnant second unit. He’s a tremendous talent, but more than that, he’s the type of player you want in a burgeoning locker room.