NY Knicks: 4 Players who could make or break the 2020-21 season

The NY Knicks head into next season with both new and returning players, many of which could help the team potentially contend for the playoffs.

The New York Knicks enter the upcoming 2020-21 season with minimal expectations after operating frugally throughout the shortened offseason, revealing that the front office is mainly focused on next summer’s free agency period.

New head coach Tom Thibodeau has been tasked with getting the most out of a squad that finished 21-45 back in March. Last year’s Knicks ranked 28th in offensive rating, 29th in total points per game, and 25th in field goal percentage.

With just over 9 months since the team last played a regular season game, it’s currently unknown as to how impressive or depressive they’ll be.

One thing is for certain: Thibodeau is going to push the young squad as far as they can go. This could be just what the doctor ordered for a team that went through years of laid-back coaches such as Derek Fisher, Jeff Hornacek, and David Fizdale.

Some players will show that they’re up for the challenge of turning around the franchise, and others will fail to stand out and prove that they belong in a crowd of youth and talent.

Here are 4 players that are pivotal to the success of next season’s New York Knicks team.

1) Knicks Make or Break Player: Julius Randle

Julius Randle underwhelmed in his first season as a Knick for a myriad of reasons. He shot just 27.7% from behind the arc, averaged 3 turnovers per game, needed the ball in his hands in order to make an impact, and averaged fewer points per game than he did with New Orleans while taking more shot attempts.

With the Knicks drafting his likely replacement last month, it seems this season will probably be his last in New York.

However, there is some optimism that he can turn things around. Like most of the team, Randle performed at a much higher level after the firing of David Fizdale. After the coach’s departure, the former Kentucky big man averaged 20.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game on 47% shooting.

He’ll also likely perform even better underneath the tutelage of Thibodeau, especially considering the fact that the former Bulls coach loves to run his offense through the post.

There is also hope that Randle can get closer to the 34% mark from three that he recorded back in 2019. Thibodeau has preached the importance of corner threes, something that the big man is surprisingly adept at. He’s a career 36% shooter from the corners, including hitting 39% off his attempts during last season.

If Thibs can keep him down low on offense while limiting his threes to strictly shots from the corner, the benefits could be reaped by the entire team. Guards such as RJ Barrett, Elfrid Payton, and Dennis Smith Jr. would have much clearer driving lanes if defenses needed to pay attention to Randle spotting up near the sideline.

Even if he can’t lead the Knicks to the playoffs, he could upgrade his value enough so that the front office might look to trade him to a contender at the deadline and get assets in return. This probability is especially high considering the success of the Marcus Morris trade last year.

2) Knicks Make or Break Player: Dennis Smith Jr.

The Knicks disappointed in many ways last season, with one of the clearest examples being the play of Dennis Smith Jr. seemingly falling off a cliff after many expected him to break out as a rising star. After averaging 14.5 points, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 41% shooting throughout his first two NBA seasons, his production plummeted.

The 23-year old averaged 5.5 points and 2.9 assists in just 34 appearances while shooting an abysmal 34% from the field. A preseason back injury likely affected his numbers, but the drop off in play is still astounding.

After going through an extended offseason without any injury setbacks, Smith Jr. needs to prove that last year was a fluke and that he can get his career back on track.

The main hope for him is that his primary skill can be easily utilized by the team. That ability happens to be his otherworldly athleticism, as the 6’2″ point guard has thrown down some highlight-reel dunks when healthy. He uses bursts of speed to attack the basket before leaping up to finish over any defenders in the paint.

Tom Thibodeau clearly has a soft spot for athletic guards who can get to the rim, building a powerhouse around former MVP Derrick Rose in Chicago. While Dennis Smith Jr. is nowhere near the level that Rose was at, he can still perform well enough to earn the job of starting point guard.

The Knicks have been looking for their long-term answer at point guard for the past two decades and Smith Jr. has a chance to capture that title if he can return to his immense potential that he showed two seasons ago.

3) Knicks Make or Break Player: Obi Toppin

Julius Randle is the present solution at power forward, but Obi Toppin is clearly the future. While he’s a bit old for a top 10 pick at 22 years of age, it also speaks to how polished his offensive arsenal truly is. He can shoot from all levels of the court, throw down-eye popping dunks and has even flashed some playmaking potential.

He’ll likely be an efficient contributor from day one, even if he’s coming off the bench. Toppin provides spacing for the guards while also acting as a lob threat that opposing defenses will need to keep tabs on.

His defense could use some work, but playing alongside a shot-blocking center such as Mitchell Robinson should help mask some of his issues with lateral quickness.

Toppin can operate as a sparkplug 6th man throughout his rookie year, getting adjusted to the speed of the NBA while also showcasing his offensive talent against other bench units. There’s also a good chance that he’ll have the opportunity to close some games out, receiving valuable clutch time minutes that could benefit him for years to come.

In the case of Randle eventually getting traded, Toppin will have even more opportunity to display his talent and show his value as a core building block for the team going forward.

4) Knicks Make or Break Player: RJ Barrett

Without a doubt, the most important player to this Knicks team happens to be their 20-year old sophomore shooting guard. Regardless of win total, this upcoming season will be considered a success if Barrett can take a huge leap in his second year and become the primary scoring option.

He’s been impressive in training camp and has had a lot of time to fine-tune his game after a rookie season filled with the ups and downs that one would expect of a 19-year old. Thibodeau certainly has a lot of confidence that Barrett will be able to succeed.

With no big free agent addition to take away his shots, Barrett is going to be given every opportunity to put up numbers and have some big scoring nights this year. It’s almost certain that he’ll pass his career-high of 27 points on more than one occasion.

Like most players, RJ performed much better at home than on the road. At Madison Square Garden last year, he averaged 16.2 points and 5.1 rebounds on 44% shooting. On the road, those numbers dropped to 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds on 36% shooting.

Considering the fact that hardly any fans will be in attendance on the road due to health restrictions, the absence of crowd noise should help boost those home/away splits.

RJ Barrett is probably the most important of the key players who will have the largest impact on the team’s prosperity in 2021.