A deep dive on 3 culture-shifting New York Knicks front office hires.
Building a winning culture is by no means an easy feat for any NBA organization, especially considering how player dominant the league has become. Roster construction has taken a very evident backseat to just pairing 2 or 3 superstars on the same team and surrounding them with a bunch of complementary role-players. Dirk Nowitzki and the 2011 Dallas Mavericks might be the last team we’ll ever see built on personnel chemistry and one superstar talent.
Considering how no All-star caliber players are willing to come to the New York Knicks until they prove that they’re focused on becoming a consistent and winning organization, it seems like the New York’s new front office will be forced to take the small market approach by building a contender through the draft and savvy free agency signings.
If the Knicks want to model themselves after the 2015 Golden State Warriors (the last team to make it to the promised land using this method), it needs to begin from the top down. I believe more homegrown talent will come in due time in players similar to Obi Toppin and RJ Barrett, but in order to continue this trend, New York needs to allow the unsung heroes of the organization to work their magic.
While new head coaches and team presidents tend to steal the headlines, it’s guys like scouts, assistant coaches, and assistant GMs who help turn laughingstocks into winners.
Here’s a deep dive on 3 front office acquisitions the Knicks have made that will help shape the composition of this team for the next decade.
Alex Kline – Basketball Scout
Formerly of the New Orleans Pelicans, Alex Kline is a 26-year-old basketball whizkid. Local guy, born in New Jersey, and a recent Syracuse Alum. At just 22 years old he was hired by the Pels and has held an NBA scouting position ever since. We might just have the future GM of the Knicks already in the building, just waiting in the wings.
What intrigues me the most about Alex is his work ethic and overall life-long commitment to the sport of basketball. At 15 years of age, he founded “The Recruit Scoop,” a high school basketball recruiting website where he evaluated the talents of local hoopers. This allowed him to gain trust and closer access to the players because unlike his peers, who sometimes had 20-30 years on the athletes, Kline was in the same age bracket. Alex has also been named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list twice so far, with another few years left to try for a three-peat.
Now, as far as what Kline brings to the Knicks…..
Throughout all of the research I’ve done, the same notions are brought up over and over again. Everything I’ve read is about how he is a well-liked and shrewd relationship builder. The guy just has a knack for rubbing elbows with the right people.
Over the years, he’s become friendly with the likes of Karl Anthony-Towns, Michael Porter Jr., and Jamal Murray, just to name a few. By no means does having Kline guarantee that any big stars are going to force their way onto the Knicks, BUT there are other very talented players who are yet to come into the league that his presence may help them attain. For example, current G-League stand-out and likely Top-3 pick in this upcoming draft Jalen Green is another strong relationship Kline has acquired over the years. Seeing how this Knicks roster is basically guaranteed a Top-5 selection in this upcoming draft, perhaps this connection can prove to be fruitful.
Walt Perrin – Assistant GM of College Scouting
Walt Perrin is a 20+ year NBA veteran scout, who comes to New York after a 12-year stint with the Utah Jazz. Walt hangs his hat on his keen ability to spot mid-to-late round talent, which he accomplishes by going above and beyond, while doing his due diligence.
The two players he’s received a ton of praise for recently are Rudy Gobert (27th overall pick) and Donovan Mitchell (13th overall pick). Perrin brings the small market mentality to the Mecca from the scouting perspective because, as we are all well aware, places like Utah are not exactly atop the list of primary free agency destinations for the NBA’s elite.
Being in Utah for as long as he’s been forced Walt to be that much more thorough during the draft process by putting an emphasis on things like how the athletes fit the culture of the organization and what these guys like to do in their off time away from basketball.
Similar to Alex Kline, Perrin is recognized throughout the league as a consummate professional and absolute workhorse — first one in the building, last one out.
Considering the last two decades worth of success Utah has had, more often than not they’re picking later on in drafts, so to help compensate for that he’s had to do plenty of traveling for work. Whether it’s overseas or to smaller college programs, Perrin has made sure that Utah would get the best bang for its buck even when picking in the late 1st and 2nd rounds, with his more hands-on approach to evaluation.
From 2021 until 2026, the Knicks have 8 upcoming 1st round picks and a whopping 13 2nd rounders. With this overabundance of selections coming up over the next six seasons, I’d imagine Mr. Perrin is itching to get to work. I wouldn’t be surprised if his fingerprints were all over this team for the next 10-15 years.
Johnnie Bryant – Associate Head Coach
Last, but most certainly not least, is another Utah Jazz transplant in Johnnie Bryant, who excels at player development. After going undrafted in the 2007 NBA draft, Bryant started coaching at his namesake’s Bryant Sports Academy where he privately helped the development of Damian Lillard. Additionally, he played a huge role in developing the likes of Gordon Hayward and Donovan Mitchell, while also turning former 2nd round pick Paul Millsap into a 4x All-Star.
Bryant is widely recognized as a tough, hard-nosed, yet supportive coach who routinely pushes his personnel well past their physical, but more importantly mental limitations. At an average age of 24 years old, this Knicks team can certainly benefit from someone of Bryant’s coaching skillset and acumen. With guys like Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, and Dennis Smith Jr. all not yet fulfilling their potential so far, someone who can challenge them to become the best version of themselves will only help shape the composition of this roster as we progress towards a post-season ready unit.
The players I see stepping up the most under Bryant are the guards and wings, most notably RJ Barrett and Dennis Smith Jr. Til this day, Johnnie Bryant still holds the record for the University of Utah’s career three-point percentage at 44 percent, so we know where his allegiance lays on the offensive side of the ball. He would also help both play better, more physical on-ball defense.
I’ll always remain an optimistic New York Knicks fan, no matter what moves they make at any level of the organization. I’ve survived all the lows I could handle up until this point in my life, but with these three men at the helm, I feel confident that for the first time in a long time that things are finally being done the right way and our beloved Blue and Orange are on the up and up!