Round 1 - Pick 17 - New York Knicks

[Andrewu91]

Knicks need a point guard and he's the best left

New York Knicks will draft PG Karim Mane at 17

Pick is subject to trade

[KW]

Big time attacker of the rim with good slashing, driving ability, as well as a pretty nice pull-up game. Not quite a 3-point shooter but can hit a few. His defense should be a strong positive as well, but unfortunately he's not a passer and he's dumb as rocks, so he might be limited to playing as an off-guard.

[andrei]

Defensive minded guard who also has a decent ability to score. Pretty good man-to-man and pressure defender. Excellent Handling though not Passing. There are some efficiency concerns here though not major. Another player who can step in straight away at least in that backup PG/SG role.

[TheTwoWallaces]

My scouts pegged him as a good utility perimeter defender. Not a bad pick but I think the talent is starting to drop off precipitously

[rh0xxy]

Talented combo guard who excells as a good perimeter defender.

[KW]

Houston Rockets trade up from #24 to #17 as part of a four-team trade and draft Karim Mané from Vanier College in Quebec Canada and the Canadian National Under-19 Team

In a time of major flux for all involved, with the Rockets rumored to be moving on from star guard Malik Monk in favor of a different roster makeup, and with the young guard transitioning to the CSL, one thing will remain the same- you will see Karim Mane wearing red and white as he has for his other teams.

The Rockets are rumored to be enamored with Mane's impressive defense and driving and finishing ability from the guard spot, two things that past iterations of the Monk/KAT/Winslow teams and the more recent Monk/Gates/Walker teams struggled to get from their other ball-handler guards. The Rockets will be tasked with fixing his questionable perimeter skills particularly passing, decision-making, and his outside shot. But the vision is for him to provide a scoring punch from off the bench early on in his career.

"The long-term vision is for Karim Mane to be a starting-level combo guard in the CSL", says head coach June Brewer, who just completed her rookie season as a head coach. "There will be a transition period, but we do intend for him to play as a rookie and then as he earns his keep, we'll keep adding more time and more offensive and defensive responsibilities."

"I truly believe he has it in him to be a #2 or #3 scorer on a contender the way he attacks the rim, he's got the finishing talent, the mid-range pull up, the handles, what's left is his decision-making, playmaking, and his outside shot", states general manager KW in a post-draft presser. "He's got the lateral quickness to be an excellent defender, but needs to be more disciplined in his approach and consistent effort. If he puts that all together, we believe in him to be an excellent starting guard in this league. "

I'm beyond honored to be drafted by Houston. Looking forward to showing them they made the right decision, and you better believe I'm gonna remember the 16 players teams passed on me to draft, they're all gonna regret it. You heard me, all 16.

Strengths:
+ Relentless attacker of the basket with good results
+ Solid perimeter defense
+ Quality mid-range shooter

Weaknesses:
- Terrible passer
- Doesn't play smart with questionable intangibles
- Substandard (but not terrible) 3-point shooter
- Could be a few years before his efficiency is positive

[Flaming Homer]

Very good value for a #17 pick. I had him higher on my board mostly because of his defense talent.
Not just a slasher imo, since his mid range game looks solid enough too.