Top 10 Knicks draft picks in franchise history

The Knicks' draft history has resulted in some iconic Hall of Fame players. But there have also been some misses. Here is a look at the Knicks' top 10 draft picks in franchise history.

1. Patrick Ewing, No. 1 overall, 1985

The cornerstone of the franchise, Ewing is the team’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, steals and games played. When the Knicks won the inaugural draft lottery in 1985 and the rights to pick Ewing with the No. 1 overall pick, they added a player who would lead them to the playoffs for 13 straight seasons and to the NBA Finals twice. No, they never won it all with Ewing, but they came within one game in 1994.

2. Walt Frazier, No. 5 overall, 1967

The coolest player to wear a Knicks uniform, “Clyde” was the floor general for the only two Knicks teams to win championships (1970 and 1973). The seven-time All-Star retired as the team’s leading scorer, only to be passed by Ewing almost two decades later. Frazier remains the team’s all-time assist leader with 4,791 and has remained a beloved part of the franchise as a colorful color commentator. He is the only person to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and broadcaster.

3. Willis Reed, No. 8 overall, 1964

Reed’s inspiring tunnel walk before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals persists as the most iconic moment in Knicks history and cements his status as the toughest Knick ever. Despite being beat up in the second championship run, The Captain was elected the MVP of both the NBA Finals series. A seven-time All-Star, Reed in 1970 became the first player to be voted MVP of the All-Star Game, the regular season and NBA Finals in the same year.

4. Mark Jackson, No. 18 overall, 1987

Jackson’s pick paid immediate dividends as he was voted Rookie of the Year after averaging 10.6 assists and 2.5 steals in 1987-88. The New York native made the All-Star Game in his second season and his 4,005 assists as a Knick rank second-most behind Frazier despite the fact he played just seven of his 17 seasons in a Knicks uniform.

5. Richie Guerin, No. 17 overall, 1954

One of eight All-Stars in this draft, Guerin was the second-to-last pick in the second round. Guerin, a Marine Corp reservist when the Knicks picked him out of Iona, could not join the team until 1956 after completing two years of active duty. The high-scoring guard played seven years for the Knicks, racking up six All-Star appearances and averaging more than 20 points in four of his seasons with the team.

6. Gerald Wilkins, No. 47 overall, 1985

The younger brother of Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, Gerald Wilkins was a steal when he was taken deep in the second round. In his seven seasons with the Knicks, he started 480 games and was often the second scoring option behind Ewing, averaging 14.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists and shooting 46.1% from the field. When the Knicks let him leave for Cleveland as a free agent in 1992, it helped them free up cap space they needed in order to add key pieces to the team.

7. Bill Bradley, territorial draft pick, 1965

The Knicks gave up one of their two first-round picks in the 1965 draft to take the Princeton player in the final year of a system that allowed teams to select players within a 50-mile radius of their arena. Bradley didn’t join the team until 1967, as he spent two years as a Rhodes Scholar. He rewarded the Knicks for waiting by playing all 10 of his years there and being a key member of both championship teams. He averaged 12.4 points per game for his career. Bradley was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 1983 and is the only NBA player to serve as a U.S. Senator and run for President.

8. David Lee, No. 30 overall, 2005 draft

Picking Lee with the last pick in the first round is easily one of the best things Isiah Thomas did for the Knicks. Lee became the first Knick since Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell to make the All-Star team when he was chosen as a reserve in the 2009 season. Not only that, he was the first Knicks draft pick since Mark Jackson to make an All-Star Game. Lee, who averaged a career-high 20.2 points and 11.7 rebounds in 2009-10, left the Knicks for Golden State after five years, where he won an NBA title in 2015 before finishing his 12-year career with three more teams.

9. Harry Gallatin, No. 20 overall, 1948

Considered one of the best players of the post-WWII era, the Hall of Famer made the All-Star team seven times. Nicknamed "The Horse," Gallatin led the Knicks to the playoffs seven times in nine seasons, including three straight appearances in the NBA Finals from 1951-53.

10. Kristaps Porzingis, No. 4 overall, 2015

Boos filled the Barclays Center when the Knicks took the relatively unknown European with a rare high pick. Porzingis ended up being one of the few highlights of Phil Jackson’s stint as team president and a big hit in a sea of early lottery disappointments. Porzingis, No.1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns and No. 2 D’Angelo Russell are the only players among the top 10 picks from 2015 who are still in the league. A big man with a deadly outside shot, Porzingis quickly won over Knicks fans. After averaging 22.7 points and being named to his first All-Star team in his third season, things quickly went south for Porzingis and the Knicks. After tearing the ACL in his left knee in February of 2018, Porzingis became disenchanted with the direction of the team and asked to be traded. He was dealt to Dallas in January of 2019.