New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek may be on the hot seat, but he made an entirely valid point: He didn’t have a true small forward until late February.
New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek has become a polarizing figure. While most agree that he isn’t exclusively to blame for the Knicks’ shortcomings, there’s a growing belief that he isn’t the right individual to revitalize the organization.
Amidst rumors of his pending departure, Hornacek offered a counterpoint that borders on impossible to contest: New York needs a true small forward.
Due entirely to the structure of the roster, Hornacek has been utilizing shooting guards Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee at small forward in 2017-18. There wasn’t a true 3 on the roster until Troy Williams signed his first 10-day contract in late February, which inevitably limited New York’s effectiveness on defense.
According to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, head coach Jeff Hornacek was candid about the issues the Knicks have encountered with undersized small forwards.
"“I think if you look around at the top teams that are in the league they have multiple guys that are in the 6-7, 6-8 range with length,” Hornacek said before the Knicks played Miami on Wednesday night. “We had a lot of guys that are in the 6-5ish range. Just to get bigger at some of those spots and just continue to work on the chemistry.”"
Whether or not you believe that Hornacek is the coach of the future, it’s hard to disagree with his assessment of his shorthanded roster.
With all due respect to the point guards, small forward may be the most superstar-studded position in the NBA. A shortlist of players at the 3-spot includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Paul George, and LeBron James.
There may be more depth at point guard than small forward, but the list of superstars at the 3 is staggering—even if some are transitioning to a stretch 4 role.
Unfortunately for Hornacek, the structure of the roster has forced him to utilize the likes of Hardaway and Lee at small forward on a full-time basis.
The Knicks plan to address this issue this coming offseason, as evidenced by their reported interest in multiple wings who are eligible for the 2018 NBA Draft. That list includes Mikal Bridges of Villanova, Miles Bridges of Michigan State, and Luka Doncic of Real Madrid.
All three players have ideal size for a small forward, and could fill the void that the Knicks have struggled to overcome in 2017-18.
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The question is: Will the New York Knicks find a player who’s physically capable of handling the workload at small forward during the 2018 offseason?