NBA Draft 2022: What Knicks are getting in Duke’s Trevor Keels

By John Fanta
FOX Sports College Basketball Writer

Yes, the New York Knicks did actually select a player on NBA Draft night.

After New York made three trades — acquiring three first-round picks and losing the No. 11 pick, Kemba Walker and four second-round selections — Leon Rose & Co. had left everybody’s heads spinning.

All the movement was part of a greater effort to sign former Mavericks standout Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million deal. But amid the chaos, the Knicks did make a pick in the draft, taking Duke product Trevor Keels at No. 42 overall.

A McDonald’s All-American out of Paul VI Catholic High School in Virginia, the 18-year-old Keels caught the nation’s — and easily the Knicks’ — attention when he scored 25 points to power Duke to a season-opening win over Kentucky at Madison Square Garden.

That ended up being his best performance in the first three months of the season by a wide margin, as Keels was up and down offensively. He ended up averaging 11.5 points, 3.4 boards and 2.7 assists per game, shooting 42% from the floor and 31% from beyond the arc for the Final Four-bound Blue Devils. 

Keels was one of the youngest players in the draft, and there was a thought among scouts that he would have definitely been a first-round selection had he returned to Durham for another year of college hoops. But his decision to go one-and-done adds intrigue because he is an unfinished product. 

The good news? Keels is strong. 

At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, the Maryland native uses his frame as a weapon when he’s on the floor and plays with an aggressive nature. His best offensive asset is an ability to attack the rim. Keels can really get downhill in a hurry and initiates contact well. 

On the defensive end of the floor, he is a quality on-ball defender who plays intensely and fights through plays pretty well. The level of effort that Keels pours into his play could make him a good fit with Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.

The concern with Keels? As much as he is a physical wing, he has to get in better shape. Of the 76 players who attended the NBA Draft Combine, Keels’ body fat was the fourth-worst, at 13.5%. 

Additionally, Keels’ perimeter game was all over the place in his lone season at Duke. That skill set, however, was a big reason he ended up being a five-star recruit in the first place. He did have 15 games in which he hit multiple triples for the Blue Devils, so evaluators were left to wonder if the inconsistent shooting percentage this past year was an anomaly or a cause for concern as Keels hits The Association.

“He’s the type of player that Thibodeau has liked historically, with his toughness and defensive edge,” said one scout on the condition of anonymity. “He does need overall polish offensively, and it will be tough for him to crack a young, crowded New York backcourt.”

A positive that Keels has going for him as he heads to New York? He has two members of the Duke brotherhood on the Knicks’ roster — RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. 

In a crowded backcourt that just added a star piece in Brunson, it’s hard to think that Keels will see much time, if any, in the 2022-23 season. He’ll be in action in the Summer League for New York and will likely be in Westchester with the G League Knicks for the coming year. 

While it’s a second-round pick and at No. 42, the range of potential results is certainly wide, credit the Knicks for selecting the promising 18-year-old. With a couple of years of real development, who knows what the former five-star recruit could be? 

That’s what they’re betting on with Keels. If he can show a serviceable perimeter game and can get his body conditioned for the NBA level, the Duke product could be a role player down the road. Considering how deep the Knicks got him in the draft, that wouldn’t be bad at all.

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.