New York Knicks: Developmental mode goes full-blown in 2019

Veterans, or players not part of the future, have taken a backseat in the New York Knicks’ rotation.

The season began as “developmental” for the New York Knicks, and once upon a time, a lineup of Enes Kanter, Lance Thomas, Frank Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke opened as the starters. Outside of Ntilikina, that did not seem “developmental,” especially when Mitchell Robinson and Damyean Dotson did not play, and Kevin Knox suffered an injury.

Fast forward to the first game of 2019, and four of those five players have taken reduced roles.

Kanter has bounced between the starting lineup and a reserve role, which he unwillingly made room for Luke Kornet. He has not crossed 20 minutes in a game since this change, and the dissatisfaction with head coach David Fizdale’s move went public.

Thomas missed about six weeks due to knee surgery. His role was already in decline beforehand, and that remained the case upon return in December.

Ntilikina received a long run in the starting lineup, but ineffective offensive play led to his benching on two stints.

Burke has struggled to maintain footing in the rotation, despite a scoring outbreak upon return from his first demotion. However, he continues to bounce back and forth between from the end of the bench.

After them, it transitions to Courtney Lee, the team’s oldest player, who can’t crack the rotation consistently. Unlike Kanter, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the 33-year-old has somewhat embraced this new role:

"“You got to,’’ Lee said. “It’s only right, man. I had guys show me the right way from my rookie year. I had Dwight [Howard] as a vet, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, Tony Battie, Anthony Johnson, Hedo Turkoglu, Adonal Foyle, JJ Redick. All these guys that were professionals. And you could take JJ for example. When I first got there, [Redick] wasn’t playing. He didn’t play at all. And look at him now. He just scored his 10,000th point. He’s having a heck of a career so far. So you never know what can happen. It can turn around at any moment whether it be on that same team or a different team. Just gotta stay positive and ready.”"

Mario Hezonja, who signed for $6.5 million in the offseason, hardly plays. He was always a reclamation project after three disappointing years with the Orlando Magic, but shooting below 40 percent and 30 percent from three-point range effectively ended his run as a starter and someone who earns meaningful playing time.

What do all of those players have in common? They do not have a guaranteed future, or none at all, with the Knicks.

Ntilikina was subjected to trade rumors as recently as early December, but nothing materialized. Lee’s name was floated even more in previous reports, but his $12.75 million salary for 2019-20 makes a trade difficult. Despite that, it’s still difficult to ensure these two stay with the team beyond April, given previous developments and this organization’s direction.

Everyone else can or will hit free agency this summer. They are all veteran players, none of whom have taken precedence over Robinson, Kevin Knox, Allonzo Trier and even Emmanuel Mudiay and Noah Vonleh.

It’s a predicament, though, that has another three-plus months left, barring departures before or after February’s trade deadline. Some of those players with small roles may find themselves locked in. Others could receive their way out, but it depends what market develops for players that can’t make it off the bench.

The New York Knicks have seemingly sorted out most of this, given how the rotation stands, but if they want to make this a non-story in the second half, it’s fair to wonder if supplemental transactions will follow to allow these players to find another opportunity before the season ends.