New York Knicks: Younger Players Show Signs Of Improvement

Although the New York Knicks lost their fourth straight game, the rising stars showed improvement during an otherwise disappointing 2016-17 season.

With 10 games remaining in 2016-17, the New York Knicks find themselves at the end of another failure of a season. Put into effect as of last night, head coach Jeff Hornacek shook up the rotation for the young stars to showcase their talent and improvement on a season that has not left much room for optimism

The Knicks were all but taken lightly with Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, and Lance Thomas all out due to injury. In their place, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Ron Baker, and Willy Hernangomez would be placed in the starting lineup.

Although the Knicks would go on to lose their fourth straight game, their young stars showed improvement in the midst of a disappointing 2016-17 season.

New York finished the night much better then it started. It allowed 67 points in just the first half, but only gave up 43 in the second.

The story of the failed season was and still is the lack of defense.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas Performed Well In Portland

On a positive note, Mindaugas Kuzminskas was in exceptional form. Finishing only behind Kristaps Porzingis in minutes played, he finished with 14 points, which is well above his season average. He added 8 rebounds against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Kuzminskas is coming off his worst month and lowest shooting percentage from three-point range. During the month of February, he shot an awful 15.4 percent.

Shooting at 40 percent against the Trail Blazers should serve as a confidence booster as the season comes to a close.

Willy Hernangomez Continues To Make His Case As A Future Star

Willy Hernangomez has embraced the spotlight in New York; you could even say he stole the show this season. Since filling in the role at center due to Joakim Noah’s knee injury, Hernangomez has adapted to the NBA fast and in a hurry.

Last night, he would finish with 10 points, shooting at 50 percent from the field. He added two blocks and eight rebounds, which is now becoming his standard.

On the season, he’s averaging 7.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in an average 17.1 minutes per game. Only having a total of six games this year during which he’s played more then 20 minutes, Hernangomez has found a way to post seven double-doubles in his rookie season.

This is seven more then Kyle O’ Quinn has posted, and he averages merely 1.8 minutes less then Hernangomez—something worth nothing when a conversation comes up about starting roles.

Ron Baker And Making A Strong Impression

To be brutally honest, Ron Baker is not having the best week. It’s actually quite terrible. He finished last night at an awful 2-of-8 from the field, including a 3-point shot that was blocked.

It’s hard to tell if the pressure to make an impression now is effecting his confidence. The only upside of the night for him was four assists, and having the opportunity to play 24 minutes.

During this month, he has nearly doubled his playing time by averaging 17.6 minutes per game. Yet, he’s only scoring 0.7 points per game more than his season average.

The only stat that has improved for Baker is his assists, averaging 2.3 to the 1.5 he’s averaging on the season. The pressure is certainly on for the former Wichita State sensation, and he only has 10 games left to prove his worth.

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With his current performance, the future seems uncertain, and it’s almost too late to turn the ship around.