After an impressive 17-14 start, the New York Knicks have dropped 13 of the last 17 games. With a 21-27 record, is it time to chase a better draft spot?
The trade deadline is just over two weeks away and the New York Knicks have a 21-27 record. This is, unfortunately, the time of year when we as fans have to be honest with ourselves.
The Knicks aren’t very good. In all honesty, some games are just brutal to watch. They can be stagnant on offense and porous on defense.
New York leaves three-point shooters open far too often, due in large part to how slow they are on rotations. Offensive possessions end in isolation basketball more often than not.
Now that fans don’t have Carmelo Anthony to blame for the lack of ball movement, the blame goes on the whole team.
Where It All Went Wrong
A surprising bright spot in this gloomy season has been Tim Hardaway Jr. While many critics bashed the New York Knicks when they signed him to his lofty $71 million contract this past offseason, he has played extremely well.
The Knicks were 11-10 through 21 games, and had the look of a fringe playoff team. Kristaps Porzingis was playing at a superstar-caliber level, and Hardaway looked the part of a legitimate second option.
When Hardaway missed the next 20 games due to a lower leg injury, however, the team went 8-12 and looked noticeably worse.
Without Hardaway in the lineup, the scoring burden was entirely on Porzingis. This span of 20 games is likely what caused the infamous “I’m tired” quote by Kristaps Porzingis.
Per Marc Berman of The New York Post:
"“I’m tired,” Porzingis said late Wednesday. “I’m tired, I’m so tired right now. I have one day now to rest my legs and then get back and play better and have more energy and also try and bring the team’s energy up.”"
It’s not a good sign that a team’s franchise player is tired only 38 games into the season. If fatigue becomes a consistent issue with Porzingis, he may not be cut out to be a No. 1 option.
The skill is there, however, and at only 22 years of age, he has many years ahead to improve his endurance.
His slender frame will always work against him as a big man who constantly battles it out down low with some of the largest humans on the planet.
His weight has always been brought up as an issue, but if he learns to play to his strengths and use his height and shooting touch to perfection, he can still be a No. 1 option who doesn’t take the physical toll most big men do, much like Dirk Nowitzki has been able to.
Point Guard Play
It’s no secret that the New York Knicks have the worst point guard rotation in the league. Any team that starts Jarret Jack has a problem. As much potential as Frank Ntilikina may have, he isn’t a starting-caliber player at this point in his career.
Ntilikina has immense potential on the defensive side of the ball, but his offensive game has looked brutal. Besides a spot up three-point shot, his only other move is a pull-up midrange J that he misses more often than not.
He can’t drive to the basket, has a developing handle, and is too hesitant to drive.
Ntilikina is only 19, though, and was drafted to be a project. It’s unfair to label him as a bust or say the Knicks made a mistake drafting him.
Many excellent players have come into the league raw on offense and lacking confidence, but were solid on defense. Just look at late blooming players such as Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This is not to say that Ntilikina will develop into a star player like those just listed, but it means fans should give him three-to-four years to develop before giving up on him.
Unfortunately, with the recent call up of Trey Burke, fans will be growing increasingly more impatient with Ntilikina development.
Ntilikina is a European player in a new country experiencing a whole new lifestyle then he’s never been accustomed to. It’s hard to be a rookie, especially a rookie point guard. Add in the fact Ntilikina’s from Europe, and the challenge is even more difficult to overcome.
He hasn’t played at an NBA pro level yet, and the play of Donovan Mitchell, Dennis Smith Jr., and other point guards in his class have made fans pessimistic about his potential.
His inconsistent play and the over-reliance of Jarret Jack have been the main culprits to the Knicks’ downfall.
What To Do From Here
Fans have been calling for Jeff Hornacek’s job as a solution to the team’s woes. I’m not sure this is the right route to follow. If Hornacek is fired, that would mark the third head coaching change of Kristaps Porzingis’ career.
hat type of turnover isn’t good for any team. It’s no coincidence that the team has performed poorly these last three years.
Another reason Hornacek might be fired is that he was a Phil Jackson hire. The writing may be on the wall since Jackson was fired this past offseason. Hornacek claims his job isn’t in jeopardy, whether the team makes the playoffs or not.
The team has many more problems than just coaching. The team’s roster just isn’t good enough in its current state.
No team wants to tank, and no fan base wants to watch their favorite team lose, either. But making the playoffs as a No. 8 seed, or ending as the No. 9, 10, or 11 seed in the East will leave the team in a less than desirable draft position.
Sadly, the team’s best option is to be sellers at the trade deadline and attempt to acquire as many draft picks as they can for this upcoming draft.
Already loaded with their own first-round draft pick and two second-rounders, the team is poised to improve.
Must Read: Kristaps Porzingis will make his first All-Star Game appearance in 2018
As hard as it is to encourage losing, it may be better for the New York Knicks to sacrifice one season for a long-term winning culture.