2019–2020 NBA Season Previews: New York Knicks
Head Coach: David Fizdale
Last Season: 17–65, 15th in Eastern Conference
Projected Starters:
- PG: Dennis Smith Jr.
- SG: R.J. Barrett
- SF: Marcus Morris
- PF: Julius Randle
- C: Mitchell Robinson
Additions: R.J. Barrett (R), Ignas Brazdeikis (R), Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington, Taj Gibson, Marcus Morris, Elfrid Payton, Bobby Portis, Julius Randle.
Losses: Henry Ellenson, Billy Garrett, Mario Hezonja, Isaiah Hicks, John Jenkins, DeAndre Jordan, Luke Kornet, Emmanuel Mudiay, Lance Thomas, Noah Vonleh.
This past off-season was supposed to be a storybook one for the New York Knicks. After another subpar campaign in 2018–19, the plan was to select Zion Williamson with the number one pick in the draft and sign superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately for New York, none of those things happened. The Pelicans won the draft lottery and selected Williamson, Durant and Irving both shunned the Knicks for the Brooklyn Nets, and the Knicks fanbase was left devastated once again.
While the Knicks struck out on all of the big-name players they desired, they did not panic and wisely chose not to overpay an aging star. Instead, New York signed several veterans to team-friendly deals as they look to help give the younger players some mentors to learn from.
The biggest free agent signing the Knicks made over the off-season was Julius Randle. The former lottery pick has shown major progression over the last few seasons and had a career year with the Pelicans a season ago. He averaged 24.6 points per game after the All-Star break, ranking 18th among all players. After starting the year as the sixth man for New Orleans, Randle eventually found himself in the starting lineup and showcased why he is one of the more talented offensive bigs in the league.
The most encouraging thing about last season for Randle was that despite his increase in volume, he remained just as if not more efficient from the floor. Randle averaged a career-high 21.4 points per game last season while also posting a nearly identical effective field goal percentage and shooting more 3-pointers. While his long-range shooting is still a work in progress, Randle posted a career-high 34.4% mark from downtown on 2.7 attempts a contest. His defense is still a concern especially in terms of helping on screens and consistently showing effort, but regardless, Randle is a great young piece for the Knicks to have in their possession.
Speaking of talented young players, the Knicks used the third pick in the 2019 Draft to select R.J. Barrett out of Duke. The former number one prospect is without question the most exciting player on the Knicks roster and will be watched with great interest by Knicks fans. In his lone season as a Blue Devil, Barrett averaged 22.6 points per game and showed the ability to take over games at times.
While Barrett is a good scorer that should step right into the starting shooting guard role this season, I question how effective he will be in his rookie season. I’m also concerned about his mentality at this point. Barrett was unable to accept that he had a teammate much more talented offensively than he was and couldn’t give up that lead role. It’s not a matter of he can pass, but rather that he chooses not to most of the time. He will often get tunnel vision while putting his head down and trying to barrel through multiple defenders to the basket.
Another big concern I have for Barrett is that while he projects to be a volume scorer, he doesn’t have the outside shot to be an efficient one. At Duke he shot 31% from 3-point range and under 40% from mid-range, which is pretty discouraging.
Defensively, Barrett doesn’t project to have a positive impact. He did a lot of ball watching at Duke and lost his man off the ball frequently. He lacked effort and focus on defense at Duke, and while he does have the physical tools to be beneficial on that end, his motor is significantly holding him back.
Despite these criticisms, Barrett does still have the potential to be a star in this league. All of his problems can be fixed, but I’m not sure I see him becoming a star-level talent in the NBA. In terms of offense, he has one of the top three highest ceilings in this draft class. Like most rookies, Barrett will struggle early on but progress as time goes on.
One young player I’m much higher on is the Knicks center, Mitchell Robinson. The 21-year-old big man proved to be an absolute steal for New York with the 36th pick in the 2018 Draft, as he averaged 2.4 blocks per game in just 20.6 minutes a contest. He also finished at the top of the NBA in blocks outside of the paint, as he uses his long arms to help make up an immense amount of ground when closing out shooters on the perimeter. The only concern for Robinson last season was his foul trouble, as he averaged 3.3 fouls a game. If the “Block Ness Monster” wants to stay on the floor longer, he’ll need to cut down on his fouling and become more disciplined on D.
Offensively, Robinson thrived as a rim-runner last season. His length athleticism have helped him become a feared lob threat for opposing defenses, as he shot 68% at the rim last year.
Robinson oozes potential thanks to defense, shot-blocking and instincts. He must continue to improve his defensive footwork and avoid bailing opposing players out by using his hands. Still, the sky is the limit for Robinson as he should be a huge part of the Knicks’ future.
One player who must take a big leap this season is Kevin Knox. The Kentucky product put together one of the worst rookie seasons in NBA history last year. He had the second-worst true shooting percentage in the league despite ranking seventh in usage rate and ranked dead last among NBA small forwards in Defensive Real Plus-Minus.
In all fairness, Knox was called upon to be the go-to scorer as a rookie for an abysmal team fairly often. While his shooting numbers weren’t promising, he does have good form and should improve percentage wise moving forward. The 6-foot-9 forward will have to improve just about every facet of his game, as he isn’t a particular good passer or rebounder either. Knox is a project that will take a lot of time to develop.
Looking at the power forward fiasco, players such as Marcus Morris, Bobby Portis and Taj Gibson will have a chance to showcase their value to New York. All three of these players have had solid careers as role players and will battle for playing time this upcoming season.
Marcus Morris projects to be the highest scorer of the bunch and is the blue-collar kind of player the Knicks need (he’s already been ejected from a game). Morris averaged just under 14 points per game last year in Boston as he put together his most efficient and productive offensive season yet. Given that they lack a go-to scorer, the Knicks will call upon Morris to get them a basket when they’re in need of one. He may not be a star, but Morris is a versatile defender and will be a great locker room presence. He’s already mentioned that the Knicks “won’t be taking any shit” this year and should help get after everyone on the roster. Portis will also help with the Knicks outside shooting as he shot 40.3% from deep last year, while Gibson is a team-first dirty work guy who is mature and will bring energy to the floor.
The last player worth mentioning is Allonzo Trier, who was a welcome surprise last season for the Knicks. Trier is a score-first wing who does not lack confidence and thrives in isolations due to his array of moves. “Iso Zo” is still a work in progress in terms of efficiency and defense, but should see plenty of opportunities this year to further showcase his scoring abilities.
X-Factor: Dennis Smith Jr.
Dennis Smith Jr. has not progressed as many expected him to in the NBA. After Luka Doncic arrived in Dallas, Smith was the odd man out and was sent to New York. Entering this season, he is expected to be the starting point guard.
The biggest key for Smith moving forward will be improving his jumpshot, which he has reportedly been working on extensively this summer. Known as more of a scorer than passer, Smith can break down defenses off-the-dribble and can finish at the rim or kick out to open shooters. If Smith himself develops a more consistent jumper, he’ll become even more dangerous for opposing defenses.
The New York Knicks have lacked an elite point guard for what seems like forever now, and Smith has a chance to step in and fill that void moving forward. This season will be make-or-break one for the North Carolina State product. If he can show more maturity and production on and off the court, then he has a chance to live up to his ninth overall selection back in 2017. If not, the Knicks have two point guards in Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina waiting behind him.
Questions:
How will the point guard situation pan out?
As mentioned, the starting point guard spot is Smith’s to lose right now. If Smith struggles, however, the Knicks could turn to Elfrid Payton for help.
While Payton has not lived up to his lottery selection back in 2014 and has struggled to fit his defensive specialist billing at times, he is a solid veteran point guard who can rebound and facilitate for his teammates. Frank Ntilikina is another young point guard who has struggled drastically yet still has the chance to develop.
How will the rotation look throughout the season?
Head Coach David Fizdale will have a tough task ahead of him trying to fit the newly-acquired veterans next to the younger guys. He’ll have the responsibility of putting together lineups that compliment each other while also trying to get the younger guys enough minutes to where they develop.
Given that they are in a rebuild, look for Fizdale to ultimately favor the younger guys more often than not. Expectations are once again low for the Knicks this year, so giving the first and second year more playing time will take precedent over trying to squeeze the veterans for a few extra wins.
Verdict:
While they shouldn’t be as bad as last year, the Knicks should once again struggle in 2019–20. Their veteran additions will help them, but Barrett and Knox will take turns taking bad shots and the Knicks offense will once again suffer. New York will once again be a bottomfeeder and will finish in the bottom three of the Eastern Conference standings.
