Daily Knicks
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New York Knicks: Five reasons to love Enes Kanter opting in

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Enes Kanter #00 of the New York Knicks in action against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on November 13, 2017 in New York City. The Cavaliers defeated the Knicks 104-101. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Enes Kanter #00 of the New York Knicks in action against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on November 13, 2017 in New York City. The Cavaliers defeated the Knicks 104-101. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – MARCH 21: Enes Kanter #00 of the New York Knicks handles the ball during the game against the Miami Heat on March 21, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – MARCH 21: Enes Kanter #00 of the New York Knicks handles the ball during the game against the Miami Heat on March 21, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2. Preventing Overextention

The New York Knicks are preparing for a 2018-19 campaign that could be spent without franchise player Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis is currently recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee that could force him to miss the entire campaign.

Regardless of how much time Porzingis misses, the Knicks will need a player who can help stabilize the offense and prevent overextension.

Kanter has the tools to fill that role as an efficient scoring option who can put up points in a hurry. He boasts a career average of 19.2 points per 36 minutes on 53.9 percent shooting from the field, and increased those figures to 21.7 points on 57.1 percent shooting over the past three seasons.

With the ability to consistently go to the post and score with his back to the basket, Kanter has the tools to help anchor the offense in 2018-19.

Clearly, improvement from players such as Tim Hardaway Jr., Frank Ntilikina, Trey Burke, and Emmanuel Mudiay would help in this regard. The same could be said about the arrival of Kevin Knox and Mario Hezonja, but the point stands.

When all else fails, someone needs to be able to get a bucket to stabilize the Knicks’ offense—and Kanter is as strong a candidate to do so as anyone.