5. Fitting The Timeline
The New York Knicks have firmly committed to a long-term youth movement. That push is being built around 19-year-old Frank Ntilikina, 22-year-old Kristaps Porzingis, 23-year-old Willy Hernangomez, 24-year-old Ron Baker, and 25-year-olds Tim Hardaway Jr. and Enes Kanter.
At 25 years of age, Doug McDermott perfectly fits the timeline that New York is building along—and he does so while playing a position of need.
McDermott will have a chance to emerge as the small forward of the Knicks’ future. Baker, Hardaway Jr., and Ntilikina are guards, and Hernangomez, Kanter, and Porzingis are all big men who will split time between the 4 and the 5.
McDermott has a chance to be the player who pulls away from the competition at the 3, where he projects to be effective in a motion offense.
Due to his youth and relative inexperience, it would be fair to argue that McDermott has untapped potential. Jeff Hornacek will explore just how far that upside reaches during a 2017-18 season that will be something of a proving ground for the 25-year-old wing.
New York is looking to develop something long-term, and that’s a perfect situation for a player who hasn’t yet tapped into his true capabilities.