After three seasons of Phil Jackson being in charge, the Knicks made a pivot this offseason. The triangle has been jettisoned, and the Knicks will look to embrace youth and athleticism. After four straight losing seasons, the Knicks now look to embrace athleticism and youth as they move forward. Step one? Trading away Carmelo Anthony, which finally happened after months of rumors.
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ICYMI
Traded Anthony to Oklahoma City for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a second-round draft pick … Used lottery pick on French point guard Frank Ntilikina … Signed restricted free agent Tim Hardaway, Jr., from the Atlanta Hawks … Brought in longtime NBA executive Scott Perry as new general manager …
THREE POINTS
1. One thing Perry mentioned at his introductory press conference was a renewed focus on defense. Last season the Knicks finished 25th in the NBA in defensive rating, at 108.7. While improving on defense will take work and time, the NBA mantra is true: defense wins championships.
2. Although the Knicks say they will still use aspects of Jackson’s beloved Triangle Offense, you can expect the Knicks to play a more up-tempo style offensively. As the league trends toward more pace-and-space offenses, the Knicks will likely finally move closer toward that style.
3. After years of leveraging their future while trying to win in the present, the Knicks are finally in control of their own destiny. They own their own first round picks, have young players under contract, and have a unicorn in Kristaps Porzingis. Now it’s up to coach Jeff Hornacek and Perry to find an identity.
MAN ON THE SPOT
Knicks fans were apoplectic when last season ended and Kristaps Porzingis skipped his exit meeting, as it seemed like the Knicks were considering a Porzingis-less future. But with Jackson gone, Porzingis returns and looks to take the next step toward superstardom. At just 22 years old, Porzingis enters his third season as one of the Eastern Conference’s best players. After averaging 18.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg last season, the sky is the limit for Porzingis.
STARTING FIVE
Ron Baker | 4.1 ppg | 1.9 rpg | 2.1 apg
Baker will likely start until Ntilikina is ready to go.
Tim Hardaway Jr. | 14.5 ppg | 2.8 rpg | 2.3 apg
The ex-Knicks Draft pick developed into a more complete player with the Hawks the last two seasons.
Doug McDermott | 9.0 ppg | 2.7 rpg | 0.9 apg
Entering his fourth NBA season, McDermott should get his most extensive playing time yet.
Kristaps Porzingis | 18.1 ppg | 7.2 rpg | 0.7 apg
With Anthony gone, Porzingis can play more forward and allow the Knicks to take advantage of mismatches.
Enes Kanter | 14.3 ppg | 6.7 rpg | 0.9 apg
Kanter’s offensive ability is unquestioned, and with the Knicks he should be featured.
KEY RESERVES
Joakim Noah | 5.0 ppg | 8.8 rpg | 2.2 apg
Would likely start if healthy, but faces a 20-game suspension to start the season.
Frank Ntilikina | 5.7 ppg | 2.1 rpg |1.6 apg (Europe)
The 19-year-old arrives from France as the team’s point guard of the future.
Courtney Lee | 10.8 ppg | 3.4 rpg | 2.3 apg
Veteran guard should provide leadership and depth, and can also start when needed.
THE BOTTOM LINE
With a new front office in place, the Knicks look to build around a young core with an eye toward the future. And with Cleveland and Boston atop the Eastern Conference for now, perhaps it’s a good time for the Knicks to spent some time developing from within.
Lang Whitaker has covered the NBA since 1998. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here or follow him on Twitter.
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