NBA Draft: Knicks Select Guard Trevor Keels at 42

The only prospect the Knicks kept in the 2022 NBA Draft was Trevor Keels, a sturdy Duke shooting guard selected at no. 42.

With the 12th pick in the second round (42nd overall) in the 2022 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks selected Trevor Keels, a swingman out of Duke University.

Keels, who turns 19 years old in August, is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound shooting guard from the DMV area who committed to play for Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils in 2021–22. Known as a tough defender, Keels has to prove he can consistently hit an outside shot, but he will give opponents fits on the defensive end of the court.

This marks the first prospect New York is coming away with in this draft class. The Knicks have been a popular headline on Thursday night—but not for the right reasons. In the simplest terms possible, the ‘Bockers complete a pair of moves not to select a player in the first round. First, the Knicks selected French forward Ousmane Dieng with the 11th pick on behalf of the Oklahoma City Thunder for three future first-round picks (all via other clubs).

Then, the Knicks were involved in a three-team trade with the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets, gaining Memphis center Jalen Duren (the 13th pick) for multiple second-round picks and a first-rounder via OKC and rerouting him to Detroit with Kemba Walker for the 2025 Milwaukee first-round pick the Pistons garnered from the Jerami Grant trade the other day. Thus, the Knicks netted three future first-round picks (two with protections) and possess their own first-round pick next year and a protected Dallas one in 2023.

Keels averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game with the Blue Devils this past NCAA season, appearing in 36 games (26 starts) and shooting 41.9% from the field, 31.2% from three, and 67.0% from the free-throw line. In Coach K’s final season, Keels helped push Duke to the Final Four, where they fell to rival North Carolina Tar Heels.

Keels joins a Knicks roster already headlined by former Duke standouts RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. Barring any more moves by Leon Rose and co., this was the last (and only) selection from the 2022 draft for the Knicks that will stay in the Big Apple.