New York Knicks: Five super-early reactions to 2019-20 season

Through just three games of New York Knicks basketball, what are some of the earliest takeaways from the 2019-20 season?

An awkward start to the 2019-20 NBA season has the New York Knicks at 0-3 through the first weekend. Close losses to the San Antonio Spurs and the Brooklyn Nets saw this team stay competitive, but a blowout defeat to the Boston Celtics created questions on this team, the coach and what will happen next.

Three games is a small sample size for assessing the season, but there are still enough takeaways from the first 144 minutes of action. What are the first reactions to New York’s play? Let’s take a look:

5. Point guard is more complicated than ever

For a team with years of point guard woes, even the early fallout of the 2019-20 season has been a surprise. The New York Knicks entered with three point guards capable of starting games: Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina.

The preseason did not decide anything, as this trio of players struggled to shoot from the field. Payton, who seemed to be in the lead at this position, compiled too many turnovers, as well.

By opening night, coach David Fizdale did not opt to start any of them, and not surprisingly so; no one “earned” the job, so RJ Barrett and Allonzo Trier opened against the Spurs. The experiment lasted just six minutes as ball movement lacked, stalling the offense. Payton stepped back in and pushed the offense, leading to him starting the next two games.

Even with Payton running the offense, the Knicks are still struggling, and Fizdale has turned to Barrett as a lead guard in situations. Smith Jr., meanwhile, has battled shooting and defensive woes, making him almost unplayable. Blink and you probably missed Ntilikina’s two stints.

The Knicks have no answers at point guard, a position they may, yet again, spend the entire season trying to solve. Payton is the guy right now, but there is no reason to think the situation sways in a different direction.