Rick Pitino Tried Convincing the Knicks to Draft Donovan Mitchell

While on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Pitino said “I tried to get the Knicks to take him, and nah, [they said] they can’t take him at that number.” That number was the 8th overall pick in the 2017 draft.

The Knicks ended up taking Frank Ntilikina, while Mitchell was selected at 13 overall by the Denver Nuggets. He was then traded to the Utah Jazz, who he ultimately signed a 4 year contract with.

Pitino claims, “Donovan I knew would be a star in the league.” He added, “Donovan is a worker. He’ll get in the gym and he’ll perfect it.” Mitchell has continuously improved since his great first season and is considered a “steal”. In his first season, he averaged 20.5 points, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. He also finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, losing to Ben Simmons.