Best Draft Pick In New York Knicks History

The New York Knicks are one of the NBA's most storied franchises. Playing in the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden, the Knicks have been home to numerous superstar players since 1946, but have managed just two championships in that time. Over the years, the Knicks have had the opportunity to welcome countless draft picks, with the hopes that some will help change the fortunes of the franchise, with three that have stood out, including one more than any other. 

Willis Reed was selected eighth overall in the second round of the 1964 NBA Draft out of Grambling State. In a decade spent entirely with the Knicks, Reed won Rookie of the Year, seven All-Star appearances, an MVP award, two championships, and two Finals MVP awards. Reed was the first player in NBA history to win the regular season MVP, All-Star Game MVP, and Finals MVP in the same season. 

Patrick Ewing was selected first overall in the 1985 NBA Draft out of Georgetown. As part of the first NBA Draft lottery,  Ewing would become the face of the franchise for fifteen seasons. An eleven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, and the Knicks all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, and games played, Ewing was one of the five best centers of his era.  He led the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals, the franchise's only Finals appearance since the championship years.

While Reed and Ewing were great players, Walt Frazier may have been just a bit better.

Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, as a football and baseball star, Frazier was highly recruited for his skills on the gridiron more so than what he could do on the basketball court. Offered a scholarship by the Southern Illinois Salukis, Frazier took the small university to the Div II National Championship game in 1965. A two-time Div II All-American, Frazier helped guide the team to the NIT title in 1967. Before Frazier arrived, few knew who the Salukis were, but he quickly put the team and himself on the map. 

Selected fifth overall in the 1967 NBA Draft, Frazier arrived in New York and, within a short time, had transformed himself into one of the most complete players in the league. Coming off the bench during his first two seasons, Frazier had figured out a way to earn more minutes, becoming one of the best defensive guards in the league. 

In the 1969-70 season, Frazier averaged nearly 21 points, 8.2 assists, and 6 rebounds, anchoring a Knicks defense that allowed just 105.9 points per game as the Knicks won a franchise-record 60 games. Advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time in sixteen seasons, Frazier put together one of the most impressive individual playoff performances in NBA history. With Willis Reed limping off the court in the decisive Game 7 against the LA Lakers, Frazier took his game to another level, finishing the game with 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds, and 6 steals, one of the most complete box scores in NBA playoff history. The Knicks won 113-99, providing Madison Square Garden with its first NBA Championship banner. 

Three years later, Frazier led New York to a second championship, this time averaging 21.1 points in the Finals as the Knicks once again defeated the Lakers, this time in five games. Frazier and the Knicks would have two more playoff seasons together, but failed to match the success of their title runs. Over the course of his ten seasons in the Big Apple, Frazier collected seven All-Star appearances, four All-NBA First Team selections, seven consecutive All-Defensive First Team honors, and a spot on both the NBA 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. He left the Knicks holding franchise records for points, games, assists, and minutes, records that stood until Ewing joined the team nearly a decade later (Frazier still holds the team assists record). 

Both Reed and Ewing had great Hall of Fame careers built off their time as members of the Knicks, but Frazier provided them their greatest moment, their greatest player, and as such, the greatest draft pick in New York Knicks history.