A question that has been often too painful and frankly out of pocket to even think about asking has arisen: are the Knicks good?
The answer to this so far this season is – simply put – yes!
There are a few caveats to this statement however. Yes, the Knicks are good, considering more or less everything everything that has transpired since 1999 (maybe I am to blame) except maybe Carmelo Anthony and Lin-sanity. Yes, the Knicks are good, considering pre-season expectations after another – erm – sub optimal year last year.
This year, experienced players have found a new gear, a rookie has taken off at speed to become a fan favourite and a sophomore has kicked on (mostly). The Knicks sit seventh in the East and are currently 15 – 16, for context, at the same point last year they were 7 – 24; quite the improvement.
The last two seasons have seen New York draft quite sensibly, which is not a sentence that gets thrown around too often. Last year RJ Barrett was inconsistent but solid, with the only rookies really ahead of him in his class being Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, at least one – if not both – of whom are generational talents.
This season Barrett has become more consistent, more intelligent and improved his decision making vastly. He is still fairly inefficient but if he gets those shooting percentages up then he can be a serious player. Overall though (ignoring a highly indifferent February so far) he is a solid, dependable player night to night, with no glaring holes in his game.
Immanuel Quickley has – ahem – quickly become a fan favourite at Maddison Square Garden (or more accurately, on NBA League Pass) this season. He has looked totally unflustered by the NBA and already has a league-ready offensive arsenal of floaters, step-backs and at the rim finishing.
Julius Randle has always had it in him to have a superstar year and lead a team and this is the season it has materialised. This season he is averaging 23/11/5 and is extremely likely to end up an all-star, which would be thoroughly deserved. Randle is doing it all this season, consistently scoring big, dominating games physically and even shooting over 40% from three.
Coach Tom Thibodeau has an overall extremely impressive winning record over his career thus far and despite a couple of very average seasons at Minnesota, his win percentage is over 58. A winning season for the Knicks would be their first since 2012-13.
These main pieces have been ably supported by Elfrid Payton (quite unpopular with Knicks fans, probably because he isn’t Quickley), Reggie Bullock and Alec Burkes who are reliable from downtown.
Derrick Rose has also returned to New York, very much a veteran now and the former MVP has fully bought into Tom Thibodeau’s ethos and is already mentoring young guard Quickley.
Another interesting stat from this season is that the Knicks only give up 103 points per game, the best in the East, whilst their points scored per game sits at exactly the same, the lowest in the East also.
The Knicks are currently in a playoff position and whilst no one is harbouring real ambitions beyond that, a playoff spot is not unreasonable and would be a huge achievement considering the last few years.
Anything to keep Walt Frazier happy really.
Michael Vince on Sport 