In his first season with the team Enes Kanter has emerged as a powerful voice with the New York Knicks. Kristaps Porzingis is the focal point of the franchise, but Kanter isn’t afraid to speak his mind, whether it be beefing with LeBron James or the politicians in Turkey.
With Porzingis on the mend and the Knicks wayward once more, it’s Kanter who has once again become the one to speak up for the team amidst its struggles. The Knicks are in 12th in the East and safely out of a playoff spot at 24-45, but that doesn’t mean the team is just focused on the future.
As Kanter told ESPN’s Ian Begley, the goal for the team remains to put the best roster they can out there and see what happens.
Enes Kanter on the idea that the Knicks are developing young players during games at this point in the season: “Let me tell you something, man: They can develop guys in the G League. This is not the time to develop young guys or whatever because we’re trying to win games here.”
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) March 16, 2018
It’s a good attitude to have, but that’s clearly something the Knicks have to worry about at this point. The context of this discussion is Frank Ntilkina, the 19-year-old who had just 13 minutes off the bench for the Knicks in Thursday night’s 118-110 loss to the Sixers. Logically, this would be a good chance to get the youngster more time in the lineup, but Kanter’s point is clear: if Ntilkina isn’t ready to play as a starter, why should the Knicks struggle more than they already are?
It might not be the most forward-thinking of roster logic, but you can’t blame Kanter for defending his team in this context. It’s not the first time he’s done so, and it certainly won’t be the last.
