New York Knicks

New York Knicks

2019-20: 21-45 (5th in Atlantic, 12th in Eastern Conference, 25th in NBA)

Missed Playoffs

2019-20 Individual Stats	2019-20 Team Stats	Head Coach Profile
Points: Julius Randle (19.5)Rebounds: Julius Randle (9.7)Assists: Elfrid Payton (7.2)Steals: Elfrid Payton (1.6)Blocks: Mitchell Robinson (2.0)3-Point %: Damyean Dotson (36.2%)Free Throw %: Julius Randle (73.3%)	Points: 105.8 (29th)/112.3 (18th)FG %: 44.7% (25th)/46.3% (17th)3-Point %: 33.7% (27th)/38.1% (28th)Free Throw %: 69.4% (30th)Offense Rating: 28thDefense Rating: 23rdTurnovers: 14.3 (11th)/13.7 (24th)	Tom Thibodeau: First season with New York (0-)

The Knicks have missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons and have won less than 30 games in four of those seven seasons. Since their last playoff appearance in 2012-13, they have hired and fired six different head coaches. They now have settled on former Bulls and Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau, who brings a tough, no-nonsense approach that might bring a sparkplug to the intensity and competitiveness of this team.

Last year, the Knicks were the only team in the Atlantic division to not make the playoffs, which makes their path toward competing even more difficult. The Knicks will probably have to go through several adjustments and rotations and permutations before they find their identity. If they can do that quickly, they could be competitive; but if not, it will be another lost year that gets the front office even more impatient.

F Bobby Portis	Milwaukee	F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	Dallas
F Taj Gibson	Free Agency	G Alec Burks	Philadelphia
G Damyean Dotson	Cleveland	G Austin Rivers	Houston
G Wayne Ellington	Detroit	C Nerlens Noel	Oklahoma City
G Allonzo Trier	Free Agency	G Jacob Evans	Minnesota
F Maurice Harkless	Miami	F Omari Spellman	Golden State
G Kadeem Allen	France	F Theo Pinson	Brooklyn
		G Jared Harper	Phoenix
		G Myles Powell	Seton Hall (UFA)

NBA Draft

(1, 8)	F Obi Toppin	Dayton
(1, 25)	G Immanuel Quickley	Kentucky

Projected Roster

SF	Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	Former second overall pick offers great defense and strength, but has never expanded his offensive game.
PF	Julius Randle	Led Knicks in points and rebounds last year, foundation to build team around now.
C	Nerlens Noel	Comes over from Thunder and is excellent shot blocker and rebounder. Now has chance to have bigger role.
SG	R.J. Barrett	Last year’s rookie had impressive debut year and is now expected to build off of that.
PG	Elfrid Payton	One of most improved players in the league last year, is now entrenched as starting PG for the Knicks.
F	Kevin Knox	Found role off the bench last year and played better than when he was a starter his first year.
F	Obi Toppin (R)	Eighth overall pick won National College Player of the Year, averaging 20 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block per game.
C	Mitchell Robinson	Very good defender and shot blocker, but doesn’t have offensive game.
G	Frank Ntilikina	Still hasn’t quite found his groove, but potential for playing positions 1-3 is still intriguing.
G	Dennis Smith	Relegated to the bench when Elfrid Payton played so well, but Smith still offers great athleticism at point guard position.
F	Reggie Bullock	Good length, 3-point shooting and defense.
F	Ignas Brazdeikis	Last year’s rookie from Michigan only played a handful of games because of injuries.
G	Alec Burks	Has had spurts of great play throughout career at every stop. If he could find consistency, he can be a great player.
G	Austin Rivers	Solid role player who offers length, great shooting and competitive defense, he could push for big minutes.
G	Immanuel Quickley (R)	First round pick enters crowded point guard room, but his good scoring and floor leadership are intriguing.
F	Omari Spellman	May have hard time making final team, but as a forward, there’s room for him to develop.
F	Theo Pinson	Kind of a tweener, still trying to find his place in the NBA.
G	Jacob Evans	Two-way contract probably coming.
G	Jared Harper	Crowded point guard room means he probably won’t make final roster.
G	Myles Powell (R)	Undrafted rookie probably will have to go two-way route.

Question #1: In my analysis, Obi Toppin is the steal of the draft.  He is athletic, long, has great touch and is an all around fantastic scorer.  With the Knicks failing again to secure an all-star in free agency, will Toppin be able to provide that starpower that New York has been lacking since the Melo era?	Answer: Obi Toppin is going to be a great player. He is too talented to not be. But the Knicks are a bad basketball team and Toppin plays the same position as the Knicks’ best player Julius Randle. I think that Toppin is the franchise cornerstone and will become that superstar in two or three years. But right now, he’s going to be learning the ropes on the fly in this COVID-crazy year. I don’t project him as the ROY, just because of the team he plays on and the role he will start out with.
Question #2: Who’s going to play point guard for the Knicks? They literally have at least four guys that can realistically play the position going forward. Elfrid Payton had a good season, but Dennis Smith is athletic, Frank Ntilikina is long and strong and Austin Rivers has playoff experience. You can’t realistically give four players the same amount of minutes. Who’s going to get the first crack at it, and which player is going to get the short end?	Answer: I expect that Tibbs will try a multi guard approach.  The rage of the NBA scouts recently has been to fill roster spots with players who are long defensively, but can also handle the ball and run the pick-n-roll on offense.  Having multiple guards on the floor at the same time allows for more defensive switching flexibility, as well as makes it difficult for the other team to match up.  It could end up being a great strategy.
Question #3: This question is not just for the Knicks, but for all the teams that didn’t make the NBA restart cut.  The Knicks haven’t played a competitive game of basketball in 9 months.  Combine that with shut down practice facilities and heavy COVID restrictions, many players haven’t practiced with anyone other than themselves.  How do you get back into the groove?  How do you overcome that?	Answer: This is all new for everyone. We have never had a 9-month layoff before. So the only thing the Knicks and the other teams can do is just treat it as normal. Teams that don’t make the playoffs are off from April through October anyway, and that’s how the Knicks have to treat it. And every team is dealing with closed facilities and COVID restrictions. So the Knicks can’t disadvantage themselves by saying they are worse off than other teams and let that bleed over into the regular season. They’re already disadvantaged by not being a good team anyway.
Question #4: I don’t see offense as a strong point for the Knicks. They have good defense with their additions of MKG and Nerlens Noel, but neither are offensively inclined. The Knicks have Julius Randle and good young players in R.J. Barrett and rookie Obi Toppin. All have to step up, but they’re going to need someone to step up from the abyss and have a great season. Who does that need to be for the Knicks to play meaningful games in April?	Answer: The Knicks need to embrace the identity of a defensive team.  Once you get that working, more offensive opportunities tend to present themselves.  When you own the defensive end of the court you get more fast break opportunities, more free throw attempts and an overall strong mental mindset approaching each game.  On the offensive end, Julius Randle is good, but the Knicks need one of their lottery picks to step up this season.   Whether that is Knox, Barrett or Toppin doesn’t matter, one of them needs to have a 20 ppg average in order for the Knicks to be relevant in the East.