New York Knicks: Players Who Need To Step Up After Season Opener

Oct 8, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas (42) shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas (42) shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
1 of 5

It was only one game, but a number of New York Knicks players need to step up following the 117-88 loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.


Oct 8, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas (42) shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas (42) shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The 2016-17 NBA regular season didn’t begin in the way that most New York Knicks fans expected it to. Victory may not have been a realistic goal, but the Knicks were blown out by a score of 117-88 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Though there were a number of reasons to be encouraged by the Knicks’ performance, there are a select few players who need to dig deep and step up the rest of the way.

In some instances, said players first ran into trouble during the 2016 NBA preseason. The hope was that they’d turn things around come the regular season opener, but that vision has yet to be realized.

For the sake of the Knicks’ postseason aspirations, said players need to get things together before the early goings of the 2016-17 season gets away from them.

New York’s next five games will be tests. The Memphis Grizzlies on October 29, Detroit Pistons on November 1, Houston Rockets on November 2, Chicago Bulls on November 4, and Utah Jazz on November 6 are all losable games.

The question is: which players need to turn things around and help New York get off to a better start to the 2016-17 NBA regular season?