Donovan Mitchell, a New York Knick? That’s not going to happen anytime soon. However, during the 2017 draft process, Rick Pitino, Mitchell’s coach at Louisville, pitched him to the Knicks, who had the seventh pick that year.
The franchise, which had Phil Jackson as their president of basketball operations at the time, balked.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I called the Knicks, they had the seventh pick,” Pitino revealed on “The Roommates” with Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson. “I called them up and said, ‘Listen, take my guy, Donovan Mitchell. He’s gonna kill it. Don’t pay attention to what they say about some of his weaknesses. He’s gonna kill it; take him.’”
“They said, ‘Nah, I don’t know if we can take him that high.” They end up taking Frank Nicoletti, or something like that… Just think about that: They could have Donovan at seven, but they couldn’t take him (because) it was too high, but they took Frank,” added Pitino with a wry smile.
Ntilikina catching strays
The second-most amusing bit about Pitino’s story was that he called Frank Ntilikina “Nicoletti,” which sounded Italian instead of French, which is Frank’s nationality. However, as Rick reiterated, the funniest thing was that they could have selected a franchise cornerstone instead of someone who was already out of the league at 25.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLooking back during the draft process, Ntilikina’s defensive versatility and physical attributes topped the Knicks' draft board more than Mitchell’s offensive promise. Frank, who was still 18 at the time, stands at 6’5” with a seven-foot wingspan. Meanwhile, Spida was already 21, undersized at 6’3” and was more of a combo guard.
Ultimately, the Knicks, headed by Jackson, completely looked the other way and ignored Mitchell’s Big Apple connection. Donovan was born in Elmsford, NY, about 31 miles north of New York City, and his dad worked for the New York Mets. Mitchell spent summers playing basketball at the famed Rucker Park and was basically a legend there.
While the Zen Master admitted the Ntilikina pick was a complicated process that required deliberations between the scouts and decision-makers, he also raved about Frank’s physical attributes and IQ.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"We like the size of this young man, we like his aptitude for the game, athleticism, actually the ability to incorporate himself in a winning type of a situation,” Jackson said shortly after taking Ntilikina.
Eight years later, Ntilikina is back in Europe while Mitchell has become a six-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA selection.
Knicks’ history of Draft Day blunders
In all fairness to the Knicks, five more teams passed on Mitchell before the Denver Nuggets took him 13th overall, then traded him immediately to the Utah Jazz. However, it’s no secret that the Orange and Blue have repeatedly made some of the worst Draft Day decisions in recent memory.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor instance, the franchise selected Kevin Knox with the 9th pick in the 2018 Draft, even though studs like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11th) and Mikal Bridges (10th) were still available.
Back in 1999, they passed on their own guy, Ron Artest, in favor of another French national, Frederic Weiss. (Weiss was famously the player Vince Carter jumped over in an iconic dunk in the 2000 Olympics.) And the list goes on and on.
Pitino’s call to the Knicks could have changed the trajectory of the franchise much earlier. The Hall of Fame coach practically handed them a cornerstone, but they still looked away. Years later, it stands as yet another example of New York seeing the correct answer and inexplicably circling the wrong one.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRelated: Rick Pitino criticizes ESPN for being hypocritical when criticizing gambling, but advertising betting sites
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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