On Tuesday, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith took to social media to express his overwhelming excitement about the Knicks trading for star forward Mikal Bridges. But while covering Day 1 of the 2024 NBA Draft Wednesday night for ESPN on ABC, that joy briefly turned to horror when the Knicks made their lone selection of the night.
The Knicks came into the first day of the draft with two first-round selections, which had Stephen A. quite excited to see how the Knicks could further improve their roster in what has already been a very busy offseason for the team.
“I feel ecstatic,” said Stephen A. Smith in anticipation of the Knicks pick at No. 25 overall. “I couldn’t wait for this segment right here. I stayed here for this segment. This is what it’s all about baby! Excuse me, (Josh) Hart, (Donte) DiVincenzo, (Jalen) Brunson, (Mikal) Bridges. I mean, come on now, they played together in college. And then you’ve got Julius Randle!”
Stephen A. Smith's annual Knicks draft rant is actually an "ECSTATIC!" one ahead of the No. 25 pick. #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/HwpH5FR25o
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 27, 2024
Smith went on to hint at his preference with the upcoming draft pick, declaring that the organization needed to replace Isaiah Hartenstein, who they likely will not be able to pay after extending OG Anunoby.
The Knicks went in a different direction, instead trading the No. 24 pick and then opting to select French forward Pacôme Dadiet with the No. 25 overall pick. Smith’s tune immediately changed once the pick was made, staring quite perplexed at the camera with a look of disgust on his face.
But Stephen A. Smith’s Knicks enthusiasm wasn’t quite the same after the pick was made. #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/6j2bc8kCQ4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 27, 2024
Initially, it is quite clear that Smith was far from pleased with his favorite team’s selection of the largely unknown French prospect. However, after some background knowledge about Dadiet from his colleague Bob Myers, Stephen A. quickly started to come around to the selection.
“I’m good, I’m good,” said Stephen A. when Myers pointed out some of Dadiet’s measurables and shooting stats this past season in Germany. “I have some length, I have a shooter. I like that, but not the kind of length I was talking about to replace Hartenstein. But I’m alright with that.”
It’s not exactly a surprise to see that Smith was a bit hesitant to be excited about Dadiet given how little most know about him as a prospect. He famously had a similarly negative reaction to the Knicks selecting Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015 NBA Draft.
That pick ended up working out quite well for the Knicks during his time with the organization. So maybe Stephen A. has learned his lesson on overreacting too quickly when it comes to unknown commodities in the NBA Draft.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.