By any description, the 2020-21 season was a rousing success for the New York Knicks. Virtually no one picked the Knicks to even approach the Play-in, much less the playoffs, and New York zoomed to home-court advantage in the first round. Things ended disappointingly against the Atlanta Hawks but, even with that (relative) playoff dud, the Knicks emerged with plenty to praise.
With that said, New York enters a wildly intriguing offseason, with only a handful of high-end contributors under contract for the 2021-22 season. As such, things could vary wildly, particularly when accounting for the fact that Julius Randle had a career season in 2020-21 that may not fully repeat itself. The Knicks have a bundle of cap space to address needs, but they also started this draft with two first round picks. After dealing No. 19 to Charlotte for a protected future first, they moved back from 21 to 25 for a second rounder with the Clippers.
Roster Needs: Point guard, another starting wing, shot creation, shooting, depth
Quentin Grimes (No. 25 Overall), Grade: C
Grimes is a perfectly solid prospect. He doesn’t take much off the table and should be credited for remaking his game at Houston after a weird stint at Kansas. He is a very solid role player in the making but, if New York wanted that archetype, I would’ve preferred Jared Butler. It’s clear, though, that the Knicks weren’t aiming for ceiling here, and that’s okay.
2021-22 Roster
Julius Randle (non-guaranteed)
RJ Barrett
Kevin Knox
Obi Toppin
Quentin Grimes
Luca Vildoza (non-guaranteed)
Immanuel Quickley
Norvel Pelle (non-guaranteed)
2021 Free Agents
Reggie Bullock (UFA)
Alec Burks (UFA)
Taj Gibson (UFA)
Jared Harper (RFA)
Nerlens Noel (UFA)
Frank Ntilikina (RFA)
Elfrid Payton (UFA)
Theo Pinson (RFA)
Mitchell Robinson (Team Option)
Derrick Rose (UFA)
