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Knicks: Where does New York rank in the Eastern Conference?

By Nolan Eritano

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts during the third quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Target Center on November 16, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Timberwolves are debuting their City Jerseys honoring the late artist Prince. The Timberwolves defeated the Trail Blazers 112-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts during the third quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Target Center on November 16, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Timberwolves are debuting their City Jerseys honoring the late artist Prince. The Timberwolves defeated the Trail Blazers 112-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Dec 11, 2020; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin (1) celebrates with teammates after a play during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

12. New York Knicks

Regular Season Record: (21-45)
Preseason Record: (3-1)

Most of you are familiar with the moves the Knicks made this offseason, but for those of you who may not be, here’s a quick recap: New York drafted college basketball’s Player of the Year in Obi Toppin out of Dayton and SEC Player of the Year Immanuel Quickley with the 25th pick.

Quickley was mostly known for being a sharp-shooting guard, hitting 42.8 percent from 3-point range during his time as a Wildcat. Quickley is also known for his work ethic, being a good teammate, even coming off the bench at Kentucky and still managing to win SEC honors and earn himself a first round selection.

The former Wildcast made a somewhat surprising start at point guard in the preseason finale and put up 22 points to go along with 5 assists and 5 steals. What impressed me most about Quickley is his ability to keep his head up and maintain his dribble. I expected a player more in the mold of a Malik Monk type, but at least early on, he has shown a surprising ability to man the point that has me extremely bullish on him as a prospect.

Free agency was fairly quiet for the Knicks, as expected. Most notably, Leon Rose re-signed Elfrid Payton to play lead guard, and brought in Alec Burks, Austin Rivers and Nerlens Noel on very reasonable short-term contracts, allowing them to maintain cap flexibility moving forward,

The biggest question for the Knicks this season will be who ends up manning the starting point guard role. While Payton is the likely favorite to start opening night, he still faces plenty of competition from Dennis Smith Jr., who is hoping to have a bounce-back season, Frank Ntilikina, who hopes to find some offense to go with his outstanding defense,  along with Immanuel Quickley whose shooting prowess goes a long way in ability to create floor spacing.

It was extremely notable to see how a starting line up with Quikley at the point, Bullock at the 2 (arguably the teams two best 3-point shooters) allowed players like RJ and Mitch to have more room to operate in the paint. This Knicks team, for its lack of overall top-line talent, is actually a fairly deep team capable of throwing out multiple lineups, potentially even playing Randle or Obi at the 5 in certain scenarios.

Overall, this season for the Knicks is going to come down to the development of the young players on the roster. It’s nearing make or break time for players like Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr. and Kevin Knox. But if the Knicks are able to find a true answer to their point guard position and can open lanes for our forwards to attack the paint, there is no reason they can’t at least be fighting for a play-in game at the end of the season.

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