2016-17 Record: 31-51 (12th in East)
Players Added: Michael Beasley (FA), Damyean Dotson (Draft), Tim Hardaway Jr (FA), Nigel Hayes (FA), Jarrett Jack (FA), Enes Kanter (Trade with OKC), Luke Kornet (FA), Doug McDermott (Trade with OKC), Frank Ntilikina (Draft), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (FA), Ramon Sessions (FA)
Players Lost: Carmelo Anthony (Trade with OKC), Justin Holiday (FA), Maurice Ndour (FA), Marshall Plumlee (FA), Chasson Randle (FA), Derrick Rose (FA), Sasha Vujacic (FA)
Projected Team MVP: Kristaps Porzingis
Carmelo Anthony is in Oklahoma City and, if it wasn’t already Kristaps Porzingis’ team in New York, it certainly is now. The 22-year-old big man is a very impressive prospect and, after two years in the NBA, he’s also an established player with real strengths in the immediate. With that said, Porzingis fits the bill as a player who is more famous and well-known than he is impactful at this early stage and this will be a big year for the Latvian center.
In short, Porzingis is the only top-shelf player on New York’s roster and, rather than placating to Anthony, it is widely assumed that Jeff Hornacek will center things around his best player. The 7’3 combo big averaged 18.1 points (on 45 percent shooting and 35.7 percent from three) a season ago but he will need to up his production on the glass and on the defensive end to live up to the considerable hype that Porzingis has amassed.
Can he be a top-10 player in the NBA? Maybe, but Porzingis does not currently have the varied offensive arsenal to achieve that goal without becoming a thoroughly dominant force on the defensive end. On the bright side, he is still very young and there is plenty of growth to project. On the flip side, the Knicks will be heavily reliant on him immediately and it remains to be seen just how Porzingis will handle that new role.
Team X-Factor: Tim Hardaway Jr.
It would be very easy to argue for either Willy Hernangomez or Frank Ntilikina as New York’s X-factor and, in truth, both players possess more upside than Hardaway Jr. in the future. However, the 2017-2018 Knicks will be far more reliant on the former Hawks shooting guard and New York’s massive, four-year investment in Hardaway Jr. made real waves around the league in July.
Make no mistake, Hardaway Jr. made great strides in Atlanta last season, transforming himself from a non-rotation entity earlier in his Hawks tenure to a legitimate piece on the wing. That doesn’t mean, though, that Hardaway Jr. is without flaws, as his playoff performance showcased his defensive weaknesses while his offensive bursts were more sporadic than teams would want to see from a full-time starter.
Hardaway Jr. won’t turn 26 until March and there might be some more ceiling to explore. Unfortunately for the Knicks, he will need to keep improving to remotely justify the contract and, on a team largely void of present-day offensive creation, his return to New York will come with quite a bit of pressure to play well immediately.
Best Case Scenario:
The Knicks probably aren’t going to be good in 2017-2018 and, frankly, that is okay. New York has their own 2018 first round pick and, if things go “according to plan,” the end result will be a lofty draft pick.
That is the best case scenario in that, well, this team needs more talent. Would it be encouraging (and necessary) to see growth from Porzingis, stability from Hardaway Jr. and encouraging signs from Ntilikina and Hernangomez? Absolutely, but winning too many games in a season that should have an eye toward to a rebuild wouldn’t be ideal. On the bright side, if the Knicks do win more games than projected, it will likely be as a result of strong performances from members of their young core.
Worst Case Scenario:
What if Porzingis stagnates? That is the scenario that no Knicks fan wants to embrace but, in the minds of many around the league, his second NBA season was something of a disappointment. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Porzingis was “only” what he already is moving forward but, with that said, that player is not a franchise building block as a No. 1 option. It’s a big year in that regard.
Beyond that, the Knicks relying too much on vets like Courtney Lee or even Enes Kanter wouldn’t be great and this is a team that needs to avoid a win total in the low-to-mid 30’s. New York fans are familiar with that purgatory but a high lottery pick has to be the goal here.
