Knicks News: Allan Houston discusses importance of developing young players

Former New York Knicks star Allan Houston discussed how the team can become an attractive place for NBA players to want to play again.

New York Knicks executive and former player Allan Houston discussed the importance of building a solid foundation in order to change the narrative surrounding the current-day Knicks and turn them into a winning organization like they once were when he was leading the team with his smooth jumpshot in the late nineties.

In an interview on ESPN radio, Houston emphasized the need to develop the team’s younger players, especially with free agency “different now” than it was when he was a player. He didn’t elaborate on what he meant by that, but based on his wording surrounding that comment, he seems to be suggesting that the team should be focused on building a young core that attracts talent to join them.

“I was very fortunate to come at a time when the foundation had been laid,” Houston said on the DiPietro Canty & Rothenberg show (edited for clarity). “Ya know, Patrick [Ewing] and Oak [Charles Oakley] and John [Starks] and Herb Williams, they set that foundation. And I think you guys know in this game that one or two people can change the game. And I think that what you want to do is you have to develop your younger players, and you set that culture, you set that foundation, you put in everything into making them the best they can be. And I think that’s where you have to start.”

“Free agency is different now,” Houston continued. “so you have to really build the foundation.”

Houston has worked within the Knicks front office since 2008, taking on increased responsibility through his role as general manager of the Westchester Knicks. Even with Leon Rose taking over as team president, some believe Houston will still have a place in the new front office going forward. Houston was viewed by onlookers as a candidate for the GM position before the team exercised the option to keep Scott Perry on board for another season.

Houston discussed a wide-range of topics on his appearance on ESPN Radio in New York on Friday. He gave some thoughts on The Last Dance documentary, the importance of the G-League, and described how when people recognize him in the streets, they still mention his famous Game 5 shot to beat the Miami Heat in the first round of the 1999 playoffs.

Houston has been living in quarantine with his seven children while he waits for the basketball season to return.