One of the biggest priorities for Leon Rose this offseason will be evaluating the young core and deciding whether these players fit his plans for the New York Knicks.
The New York Knicks have eleven players under the age of 25 years old, with three of them slated to hit free agency this offseason. Among these players, six of them were drafted by the team and former president of basketball of operations Steve Mills.
Under Mills, the Knicks were reluctant to move on from these players. Mills’ tenure and future with the Knicks depended on their success.
Moving on from them would be a blemish against his job as president and would have expedited his dismissal.
However, with Leon Rose and the new regime, the Knicks will be able to evaluate their young core impartially, political ties aside.
The Knicks are currently positioned to have the sixth, 27th, and 38th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and, with this influx of young talent hand-picked by Rose himself, the young players from the previous regime are walking on thin ice.
Had the 2019-20 NBA season not been suspended, Rose would have benefited from having the additional games to evaluate the team’s young players.
However, if the 2019-20 NBA season is canceled, as per rumors, Rose will have to decide the fate of the Knicks’ young core with limited first-hand observations.
That’s a tall task for the first time basketball executive, but the task at hand for the New York Knicks.