ESPN insiders address Knicks, Zuby Ejiofor NBA Draft rumors

Long before the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals to end the Knicks' championship drought that had lasted since 1973, some media members and pockets of St. John’s Red Storm fans linked star St. John's big man Zuby Ejiofor with the Knicks. 

During a Wednesday conference call, ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jeremy Woo did little to silence chatter about Ejiofor possibly continuing to play home games at Madison Square Garden. 

Zuby Ejiofor would fit "in really well" with the Knicks

"I think he’s someone the Knicks should look at," Woo said about Ejiofor, per Adam Zagoria of NJ Advance Media. "I think he would fit. If you look at how they’ve built their bench...these are all guys that had that level of grit, guys who don’t quit, guys who come in and you know what you’re getting. You trust them off the bench. I could see him fitting in really well [with the Knicks]."

Ejiofor averaged 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game this past season as he helped St. John's become outright Big East regular-season champions and Big East Tournament champions. He ultimately earned the Big East Player of the Year Award, Big East Defensive Player of the Year Award and Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award honors. 

Zuby Ejiofor, Knicks are both workman-like

As for the Knicks, they have Karl-Anthony Towns as their starting center and reportedly want to keep pending free agent Mitchell Robinson. Nevertheless, ESPN national director of recruiting Paul Biancardi also thinks the Knicks should at least consider acquiring Ejiofor. 

"[Ejiofor] plays with an edge, and that’s how the Knicks won a championship, right? They play with an edge, and coming out of St. John’s, with (head coach) Rick Pitino, that’s a great story for you and a lot of people. I think it’s a fit," Biancardi added. "When you’re drafting, the talent is important, but the character traits, I think of the deciding factor when you press the button and pick somebody. I think his workman-like fits very well right now with the Knicks." 

On Tuesday, New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn noted that the Knicks showed "competitive stamina" throughout their playoff journey. It sounds like analysts feel Ejiofor displayed similar traits throughout his final college season. 

As of Wednesday, the Knicks possessed draft picks No. 24, No. 31 and No. 55. For a mock draft shared this past Monday, Woo predicted that the Memphis Grizzlies would take Ejiofor with the draft's 32nd selection. The draft is scheduled to get underway on June 23.