Knicks draft watch: William Buford

142230198.JPGWilliam Buford isn't going to wow you with his athleticism, but he knows the game well enough to contribute at the NBA level next season.

Long after Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Kansas' Thomas Robinson are off the board, June's NBA Draft will be about filling specific needs; and that's where the Knicks find themselves. Without a first-round pick, general manager Glen Grunwald will be forced to make the most out of the 48th overall selection. And because the Knicks gave $3 million to the Washington Wizards in the Ronny Turiaf trade, the team is forbidden from buying a pick in this year's draft, which is an avenue the team has used in the past.

With that in mind, here is a new series designed to prepare Knicks fans for the upcoming draft. This isn't a wish list, it's a realistic look at how the team can help itself going forward; and we invite you to give your input as well. Please tell us what you think in the comment section below.

Knicks fans have been clamoring for depth at point guard and center; but with Iman Shumpert working his way back from a torn ACL, Landry Fields set to hit free agency and J.R. Smith deciding whether or not to opt out of his contract, general manager Glen Grunwald could very well target a shooting guard with the 48th overall selection in this year's NBA Draft.

The good news for Grunwald and the Knicks is that there happens to be depth at "off" guard. Missouri's Kim English, Marquette's Darius Johnson-Odom, the Czech Republic's Tomas Satoransky and Ohio State's William Buford all fit the profile, but it's the former Buckeye that might be the best fit for New York.

First, let's get this out of the way: Buford isn't a great athlete like Alabama's Tony Mitchell.

He's not going to impress you simply by walking into the gym. At 6-5, 205 pounds (OSU listed him at 6-6, 220), the 23-year-old from Toledo has a similar build to Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden, but unlike the bearded one, Buford doesn't have the same unsuspecting athleticism.

All of that is forgivable if you know how to play the game, and that's where Buford has a leg up on the competition.

Buford accounted for 31.6 percent of the Buckeye's 3-pointers as a senior in 2011-2012 thanks to a 35.8 percent mark from beyond the arc. He actually made 44.2 percent of his 3-pointers as a junior, but he likely had more space to shoot in 2010-2011 because marksmen Jon Diebler and David Lighty were still on the team.

Buford is also an underrated passer who averaged 3.1 assists per game as a sophomore. That figure dropped to 2.7 apg as a senior, which is a bit troublesome because his assist-to-turnover ratio went from 1.78 to 1.24 over his last three collegiate seasons. In other words, he became more turnover prone over his four years in Columbus (Buford had a career-high 2.2 turnovers per game this past season).

But the best thing about Buford is his consistency, which is a rare trait for such a young player. Buford averaged 14.4 ppg as a sophomore and a junior and 14.5 ppg as a senior, proving he's a reliable secondary scoring option. And even when Buford wasn't scoring, he still found ways to contribute.

Buford had just four points on 1-of-8 shooting in OSU's Sweet 16 win over Cincinnati in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, but used his 6-10 wingspan to hold the Bearcats' top scorer, Sean Kilpatrick, to 15 points.

"William Buford played his best defense in his career at Ohio State that first 20 minutes," coach Thad Matta said afterward, as quoted by Todd Jones of The Columbus Dispatch. "That was something that we had really challenged him in guarding (Sean) Kilpatrick. I think from the standpoint of did he have a great offensive game? No. But you know what, that was a huge three he hit during the second half."

The shot Matta was referring to cut UC's lead to one with 12 minutes to play, and apparently it sparked the Buckeyes because they quickly recaptured the lead en route to an 81-66 win. Buford added five rebounds and three steals in the win.

Buford has some rough edges. His ball handling could use some improvement and he's not particularly efficient inside the 3-point arc (his two-point field goal percentage dropped to 45.3 as a senior, which is mediocre for an off guard). But if the Knicks are going to be hurting for bodies at the 2, Buford would make an excellent addition as either a second-round pick or a Summer League invitee.

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