New York Knicks: Five takeaways from 2018 media day
3. Reinforcing the idea of positionless basketball
Multiple players said it at media day, so positionless basketball seems to be an emphasis for head coach David Fizdale’s gameplan with the New York Knicks.
Positionless basketball means endless lineups for Fizdale to use throughout the 2018-19 season, to use any combination of players together, and he has the necessary pieces for this, too.
Frank Ntilikina, who’s now listed at 6-foot-6, stands as a beneficiary of this. His defensive ability opens opportunities to cover players from point guard to power forward, as addressed at media day, as well as distributing the basketball.
Ntilikina seemed confident in his ability to guard bigger players, including in the post. He grew 1-1.5 inches in the offseason.
— Robert Wolkenbrod (@WolkenRob) September 24, 2018
Lineups can also include Ntilikina with other point guards, as Trey Burke told Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Kevin Knox can work into this, with his 6-foot-9 frame and ability to score from multiple areas of the court. Fizdale can use him as a stretch four, a prototypical three, and even at shooting guard to provide the Knicks with an oversized lineup.
There’s also Kristaps Porzingis, whose status remains a mystery for 2018-19. If he returns, there are options to utilize him as a five, four or three in certain scenarios, which gives Fizdale unique flexibility.
Options go beyond these players, but Fizdale has the groundwork in place to play positionless basketball. The players appeared interested, which points towards a change from the old triangle offense that became a topic of conversation in Phil Jackson’s tenure.