It may not be a foregone conclusion that the New York Knicks take RJ Barrett or Ja Morant with the No. 3 selection during Thursday’s NBA draft.
According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Vanderbilt product Darius Garland will work out with the team Wednesday in "last-minute" fashion. Givony went on to say the Knicks are giving "serious consideration" to selecting him with the third pick as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics look to potentially move up to the No. 4 spot with an eye on him.
Garland is one of the most intriguing prospects available Thursday given his combination of talent and lack of experience.
He arrived at Vanderbilt as a 5-star prospect and the No. 14 overall player in the 2018 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, but he appeared in just five games for the Commodores because of a knee injury. The point guard scored 33 points against Liberty and 24 against Winthrop, but NBA teams don't have much college film to evaluate.
That didn't stop Garland from stating, "I humbly say this, I think I'm the best (guard) in the draft," per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. He pointed to his ability to work in the pick-and-roll and attack the basket as a scorer as someone who translates well to the next level.
The widely held assumption is the New Orleans Pelicans will draft Zion Williamson with the No. 1 pick, leaving Morant and Barrett in some order for the Memphis Grizzlies and Knicks with the next two selections.
Both Morant, who led Murray State to the second round of the NCAA tournament and became a household name with a triple-double in the Big Dance win over Marquette, and Barrett, who played with Williamson under the Duke spotlight, have more collegiate experience to fall back on.
Yet, Garland's potential must be tempting to the Knicks, who could add him to a young core of Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson that likely needs a star or two to eventually compete in the Eastern Conference.
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