The New York Knicks could be staying local with their upcoming draft selection, and St. John’s senior Zuby Ejiofor is emerging as an increasingly popular name in NBA Draft circles. After a spectacular season with the Red Storm that saw him capture nearly every major Big East honor, the 6-foot-9 center has transformed from a role player into a potential first-round selection.
His path from Kansas transfer to conference Player of the Year has been nothing short of remarkable, and now the hometown Knicks might be perfectly positioned to reap the benefits.
Why the Knicks Could Draft Local Talent Zuby Ejiofor This Year
Draft analysts have taken notice of Ejiofor’s steady rise throughout the 2025-26 campaign, with several mock drafts slotting him in New York. His combination of defensive intensity, rebounding prowess, and improving offensive versatility has turned heads across the league.
The question isn’t whether Ejiofor will hear his name called in June; it’s how high he’ll go and whether the Knicks will be the ones making that call.
NBA Draft analyst Sean Deveney didn’t mince words about Ejiofor’s limitations or his strengths. “Can he shoot? No. But put that aside, and Ejiofor is a fast-rising center who plays with energy and physicality,” Deveney wrote in a recent mock draft for Heavy Sports. “His seven blocks against UConn in the Big East tournament foreshadowed a good NCAA tournament and he could land in the first round.”
This season, Ejiofor has been the engine driving St. John’s success under legendary coach Rick Pitino. The senior is averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 53.6% from the field.
Perhaps most impressively, he leads the Red Storm in all four of those statistical categories, a rarity for any player, let alone a center.
His performance earned him unanimous Big East Player of the Year honors, making him just the fourth player in St. John’s history to win the award, joining Chris Mullin, Walter Berry, and RJ Luis Jr.
Ejiofor also captured Big East Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becoming only the second player ever to sweep all three awards in the same season alongside UConn’s Emeka Okafor in 2004.
The NCAA Tournament has only enhanced his draft stock. Ejiofor helped St. John’s upset No. 4 seed Kansas in the second round, advancing the Red Storm to the Sweet Sixteen, where they faced top-seeded Duke and projected top-three pick Cameron Boozer.
For the Knicks, Ejiofor represents an intriguing value pick. New York currently holds its own first-round selection, projected to land near the end of the opening round, along with Washington’s protected first-round pick.
Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley publicly lobbied for either the Knicks or Nets to draft Ejiofor, telling reporters he’s “so glad Zuby Ejiofor is graduating” and hoping “he plays for the Knicks or the Nets.”
