New York Knicks: Ranking the team’s young assets

After the draft and free agency, how do the New York Knicks’ young assets rank?

The New York Knicks have assembled a group of young assets. The list of players make it easier to swallow the tough pill that was losing out on Kevin Durant and other star free agents. Each player plays a different style and we as Knicks fans look forward to seeing how the young group puts it all together on the court.

After a few years of drafting and trading, who ranks first among the Knicks young assets?

Note: This does not include free agents.

8. Frank Ntilikina

Frank Ntilikina’s last season has to be extremely discouraging for Knicks fans. He did the one thing he could not do, and that was appear to take a step back. His assists, shooting percentage, and three-point percentage all went down. At times, he even looked a little lost on the defensive end which may be the scariest sight for Knicks fans. This season, he needs drastic improvement.

7. Allonzo Trier

Allonzo Trier’s ceiling has already been limited to a sixth-man. Sure, he’s exceeded expectations as an undrafted rookie, but he was only not selected due to personal issues at the University of Arizona. His “no one can guard me attitude” on the court is great, though, and if he can perfect the Lou Williams role, he can provide very important offense to this Knicks team

6. Ignas Brazdeikis

In the past three drafts, the Knicks have nailed second-round draft picks, and Ignas Brazdeikis is the most recent example The freshman out of Michigan turned some heads with his play in Summer League, including a 30-point game.

He can really shoot it, which is something the Knicks obviously lacked last season. He can be an impact player hopefully soon for these you Knickerbockers.

5. Dennis Smith Jr.

Many people in the NBA community are down on the former ninth overall pick. His playmaking ability has got to improve for him to become an NBA-caliber starting point guard. He has reworked his shooting form and hopefully, that translates well over this season.

However, Smith can get into the paint and draw fouls very well, and as we all know, his bounce is otherworldly.

4. Damyean Dotson

Damyean Dotson may end up being the most successful remnant from Phil Jackson’s tenure in New York. He understands his role and fills to the best of his ability.

Dotson shot 37 percent from deep last season. He is able to stay in front of his man on defense. Most importantly for this team, he is a willing passer. If only Jeff Hornacek gave him the opportunity the season prior.

3. Kevin Knox

Kevin Knox played a ton of minutes, shot the ball often, and played on the worst team, record-wise, in the NBA. What did people expect to happen? He’s deceptively athletic, and although his shooting had its ups-and-downs, he will be a good shooter down the line.

Knox’s defense needs a ton of work, however, and he must become a more willing passer, which should come with having actual capable NBA players on his team.

2. Mitchell Robinson

Mitchell Robinson is already a talented basketball player. He skipped his college season at Western Kentucky to focus on the 2018 NBA Draft. Thank goodness he did.

Robinson fell to the second round, despite being a first-round talent, and general manager Scott Perry was able to swoop in and pick him.

The New York Knicks development team got Robinson to a point where he became a must-watch for all fans. He is going to be a monster for years to come.

1. RJ Barrett

The former No. 1 high school player in the country tops the list.

RJ Barrett is going to be very good for a very long time in the NBA. At Duke, he was ball-dominant because he played hero ball, and, at times, took bad shots. He had one other player on his team on his level, Zion Williamson.

From watching Summer League, fans can gather that he actually loves passing the basketball, and the New York Knicks will have a special player for years to come.