New York Knicks: How to build a championship roster
By Ken Tavarez
Building the Knicks into contenders: Develop the entire roster
R.J. Barrett and Mitchell Robinson have been identified as the best of the young players, but doesn’t mean the team should give up on their other former lottery picks. Frank is not a scorer, but that doesn’t mean he can’t develop into a valuable player. The Warriors rely heavily on Draymond Green and the Celtics on Marcus Smart. Having a player who can help orchestrate the offense and lock down the opposing team’s best wing player is invaluable. If Frank can finally break through, he can be the player New York needs to get their defense to a championship level.
As for Kevin Knox, he is still very young, barely 21-years-old and is full of potential. A successful 2020-21 campaign for him would be turning into a reliable rotation player that can provide scoring and outside shooting. While is 3-point shooter regressed last season, he did shoot 34% in his rookie campaign. The eye test says he is a good shooter. His goal for last season was to shoot 40% from beyond the arc. There is no reason he can’t come close to that if he gets enough opportunities going forward. Success for the Knicks would be if they can get Knox to turn into a stretch 4, a position that is not as demanding and would fill a need the Knicks have.
While Dennis Smith Jr. (DSJ) is considered a lost cause with no trade value, he is still an immense talent whose issues are mostly between the ears. If coach Thibodeau, a former point guard, and recently-hired development guru Johnnie Bryant can somehow get through to him, the outlook on the Kristaps Porzingis trade doesn’t look so bleak.
If the Knicks can turn DSJ back into a viable prospect, then he could have some trade value. At the very least, it would validate the coaching hires made this offseason.