Knicks select Leandro Bolmaro with No. 23 pick
With the No. 23 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks have selected Barcelona wing Leandro Bolmaro. The pick will be traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 25th and 33rd picks, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.
The 20-year-old emerged during the 2017 FIBA South American U17 Championship, averaging a team-high 13.8 points while leading Argentina to a silver medal. A year later, Bolmaro represented the World team at the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit.
He subsequently signed with Barcelona and has split the last two seasons between their reserve and first team. Bolmaro is undoubtedly among the top international prospects in this year's class, but he'll spend the 2020-21 campaign with the Spanish club.
He inked a three-year extension with Barcelona in August. The NBA franchise that drafts Bolmaro must negotiate a buyout if it wishes to bring him to the league before his contract in Spain expires in 2023.
Bio
Position: G/F
Club: FC Barcelona (Spain)
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 185 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-8
Max vertical: N/A
Strengths
- Good size for his position
- Crafty playmaker, and is comfortable firing one-handed passes with either hand
- Shows great defensive intensity, and he smothers opposing players on and off the ball
- Effective pick-and-roll operator
- Displays soft touch on floaters, runners
- Uses hesitation moves to get to his spots in the paint
Weaknesses
- His outside shooting is a work in progress
- Lack of explosiveness limits his ability to get to the rim, free-throw line
- Prone to making errant passes
- Needs to get stronger