New York Knicks: Five potential effects of not re-signing Kristaps Porzingis

3. 2018-19 is large enough sample size for life without Porzingis

When the New York Knicks lost Porzingis to injury in February 2018, it tested the roster to see how it played without the top player. They won just six games afterward.

The 2018-19 roster was mostly the same, but featured new, young talents, including some of the previous games. As of Jan. 9, they have just 10 wins through nearly half the season and do not sit anywhere near playoff position.

The Knicks have routinely played lineups of players between ages 19 and 24, making for some of the youngest units in the NBA. It also presents inexperience, which limits how far the team can go.

If the Knicks lose Porzingis and fail to sign a star in free agency, the long stretches of losing in 2018-19 are just the beginning. It will not help if the team’s rookies and sophomores developer slower than expected.

New York will potentially find its spot at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for not just this season, but years to come unless they make an eye-opening acquisition next offseason. It’s difficult to know how Knox and Robinson will develop, and the Knicks will still have cap space to use in 2019 to put together their team.

Either way, immediate postseason success seems unlikely without Porzingis, someone to replace him and this roster performing near the bottom of the NBA.