Will Mychel Thompson Impress Knicks?
Basketball scouts mystify Mychal Thompson, the NBA’s first overall pick in 1978 with the Blazers who won two titles with the Lakers.
One of his sons, shooting guard Klay Thompson, became a lottery pick by the Warriors in the 2011 NBA Draft. Klay, and his drop-dead 3-pointer, became one of the NBA’s top rookies last season.
Another son, Mychel, out of Pepperdine, didn’t get selected in the same draft. He started last season on the Knicks’ D-League team, the Erie Bayhawks, before getting a shot with the Cavaliers. He appeared in five games, making three starts.
“Today’s NBA scouts mostly look at athletes rather than basketball players,’’ Mychal Thompson told The Post. “They don’t look at guys who understand how to play the game of basketball. It always puzzles me, the guys who really understand how to play and have high basketball IQs. The Spurs take those guys, but far too many scouts don’t value that anymore.’’
The Knicks apparently do. That’s why Mychel Thompson — at assistant general manager Allan Houston’s insistence — is headed to Knicks training camp that opens in one week. The 6-foot-7 shooting guard has a legitimate shot to make the team. One scout said he can now shoot it all the way to the 3-point line. The 24-year-old will compete against guard Chris Smith, forward Chris Copeland and John Shurna for the 14th and 15th spots.
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