New York Knicks: Brandon Jennings On Expectations For NYK
New York Knicks sixth man Brandon Jennings wouldn’t be satisfied with a postseason appearance. Jennings wants to win once New York gets there.
The New York Knicks have been on the wrong side of victory for far too long. Since winning 48 games in 2000-01, the Knicks have finished above .500 in just three of the past 15 seasons.
With a new-look roster and a hunger for greatness, the Knicks have high expectations—both internally and externally.
One of the Knicks’ most prominent additions during the summer of 2016 was point guard Brandon Jennings. The career starter signed a one-year deal worth $5 million to be New York’s sixth man in 2016-17.
When Jennings was asked about his expectations for the 2016-17 season, he told Anthony Donahue of the “33rd And 7th” podcast that New York needs to win a series (h/t Ian Begley of ESPN New York).
"“At the end of the day, right now I just want to win, man. I just want to be in a winning environment,” he told Donahue. “I’m in the biggest market, the greatest basketball city, the Mecca, so who cares [about coming off the bench]? Let’s just win. We win, the whole city loves us.”“Playoffs is good, but just making the first round isn’t good enough,” he said. “So I’m going to go out on a limb and put a little more pressure on us. If we make the playoffs, we’ve got to get out of the first round.”"
That’s an ambitious goal, but it’s how the Knicks should be thinking.
The Knicks haven’t made the playoffs since 2012-13, when Carmelo Anthony led New York to 54 wins and the Atlantic Division title. It was the highest win total by a Knicks team since 1996-97 and the first division crown since 1993-94.
Thus, it stands to reason that merely making it back to the playoffs after a three-year hiatus would be a sufficient result.
The reality is, Anthony led the Knicks past the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs. It was the first time New York had won a postseason series since 1999-2000, when Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell led the Knicks to the Conference Finals.
Thus, with what will be a 17-year gap between Conference Finals appearances, Knicks fans are right to be hungry for glory.
Returning to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2016-17 would be a sign of success. Kristaps Porzingis is only 21 years old, Anthony has another guaranteed year on his contract, and the likes of Courtney Lee, Joakim Noah, and Lance Thomas signed four-year deals.
As for Jennings, he’s on a one-year prove-it deal with an opportunity to earn a long-term deal.
Helping the Knicks win a postseason series would certainly bode well for him.
It’s worth noting that Jennings has 11 games of postseason under his belt already. As a rookie in 2009-10, he averaged 18.7 points in the playoffs as the Milwaukee Bucks took the Atlanta Hawks to seven games.
That includes a 34-point performance in a Game 1 loss and 25 and 23-point showings in two of Milwaukee’s three wins in the series.
Must Read: Brandon Jennings is hungrier than he's ever been
With postseason experience and an unquenchable thirst for success, Jennings can help the Knicks live up to his expectations.