New York Knicks: How rugged forwards define their success

The Next Rugged Knick

When you start searching for who can be the next great Knick enforcer, there are two players in the draft that fit that profile. The first is Isaac Okoro from Auburn. He is considered by many experts to be the best defender in the draft. The first thing you hear people say about him is that he is a winner. He puts the team first, plays hard, and does all the little things necessary to win. The biggest knock on him is that he isn’t a great shooter, but that is a skill that can be developed.

The other player that comes to mind is Patrick Williams from Florida State. One of the issues Williams had to deal with this season was that he develops muscle too easily (imagine that).

The kid is projected to go towards the end of the lottery because he is raw, but he has one of the highest ceilings in the draft. He gets after it on defense and is an explosive athlete. He also looks like he can develop into an adequate outside shooter. Having him and Mitchell Robinson patrolling the paint would be a scary sight for the opposing teams.

The new cheat code

In basketball, you always hear about height, standing reach, wingspan and vertical leap. But you never hear about strength as measurement. No one talks about bench press reps like they do in football. But strength matters in basketball. Being able to intimidate and wear down your opponent through physical play is effective.

Look at the Warriors: they were just a middle of the road playoff team until Draymond Green came into his own. At 6-foot-6, 230 lbs with a 7’1″ wingspan and the strength of a football player, Green is able to switch onto any player on the floor. He provides the Warriors the attitude and edge that got them into the stratosphere of  greatest teams of all-time. He is to the Warriors what DeBusschere was to the Knicks.

Aside from landing a franchise player, let’s hope the Knicks find that prototypical enforcer that has been a staple of all the great Knick teams.