New York Knicks: Five reasons to keep current starting lineup together

4. Youth development

It’s a rebuild or development year for the New York Knicks, which puts the youth in the spotlight, most of whom fill up this roster; two of their 15 players are age 30 and up, and one of them (Courtney Lee) has not played due to injury.

For this starting lineup, however, its average age is 22.6; a remarkable number for how well this resilient this group has played at times, including Wednesday’s Pacers game.

Frank Ntilikina and Mitchell Robinson are both 20 years old and draft picks of the past two years. Both were seen as raw prospects, and the development process may move slow, but this starting time garners experience for them, especially with the Knicks already at 2-6.

Damyean Dotson is the second-oldest player of this group, but it’s only his sophomore NBA season. He already improved on the percentages from his rookie year, aside from the inevitable spike in points and rebounds from more minutes.

Noah Vonleh might be the most interesting of the group. There are already four seasons under his belt, but this change of scenery has produced some of his best stat lines yet. Seen as a bust after playing for three teams as the No. 9 pick in 2014, he’s still just 23 years old, and the best might be ahead.

This youthful emphasis should stay in place, even with other young talents on the bench like Mario Hezonja and Allonzo Trier waiting for an opportunity.