While the New York Knicks are looking for any way to salvage a disastrous season, they haven’t given up on finding the next Jeremy Lin. The Knicks are scouring the D-League for any potential diamonds in the rough, and they just might have one with Orlando Sanchez.
Sanchez wasn’t a top NBA prospect coming into the 2014 NBA Draft. The 6’9 forward played his college ball at St.Johns University. He showed promise for the Red Storm during the 2013-14 season averaging 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds.
Sanchez did have one minor flaw, he was already 26 years old, which to NBA scouts meant there wasn’t much upside in his game. Putting the age issue aside, the Knicks decided to give Sanchez a shot. He signed with the team on September 17, 2014, however he was waived just over a month later.
On November 3rd, he was acquired by the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Developmental League.
Sanchez averages under 10 points per game and only pulls down 6.5 rebounds per night for Westchester, but he has shown flashes of NBA ability. During the annual D-League Showcase, Sanchez had his best game of the season, scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The performance impressed the New York Knicks, who according to The New York Post is on the team’s radar.
However, New York isn’t Sanchez’s only suitor. The New York Post also stated that one Western Conference playoff team also has interest in Sanchez is a free agent and is free to sign with any team he desires, so a career in New York is not set in stone.
Despite his age, it seems Orlando Sanchez has garnered the interest of quite a few NBA teams. It’s only a matter of time before he makes his debut in the NBA.