The New York Knicks FINALLY have their “Young Core”

The recent history of the New York Knicks has been synonymous with words like “Impatience”, “Incompetence”, “Circus”. The league’s most valuable franchise has been trying to recapture their last moments of glory from the 1990s for over 2 decades, and it seems like they may have finally turned the corner.

For as miserable as the Knicks’ recent history has been, that doesn’t mean it was without moments of hope. Carmelo Anthony was able to lift the Knicks into the playoffs for multiple years, including the famous 2012-13 season where the Knicks finished the regular season with the 2nd best record in the East.

Those Carmelo Anthony teams are fun to look back on and reminisce, but years later, it’s clear that the foundation of that era was flimsy. The Knicks got back to being competitive, but they weren’t built to last. Now, it seems as though the Knicks finally have the pieces for sustained success.

The Knicks are building through the draft. When was the last time you felt confident about multiple Knicks draft picks? After some unpromising lottery selections, the Knicks seem to finally be acquiring young talent.

Remember that this isn’t just about Tom Thibodeau and Leon Rose – this is about every new face in the new front office and coaching staff. Walt Perrin, Brock Aller, World-Wide Wes, Kenny Payne, Mike Woodson — All of these new faces that were brought in have helped the team to develop new scouting philosophies, a new identity, and have established a new vision for the future.

New York Knicks: RJ Barrett projects to be a versatile 2-way wing

The centerpiece of all the team’s prospects is the 3rd overall pick from the 2019 draft, RJ Barrett. Barrett was been a highly talked about prospect since high school. He’s been in the spotlight for a few years now, and many believed he could be a franchise-changing player for whatever team landed him.

Right out of the gate, it wasn’t very clear-cut what Barrett would be in the NBA. Barrett had a solid rookie season, but there his impact wasn’t anywhere close to his draftmates Ja Morant and Zion Williamson and there was nothing reassuring that the Knicks would develop him properly.

Not long ago, a Knick by the name of Kevin Knox was named Rookie of The Month for December 2018 and was later selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend… the concerns for Barrett’s development were very real.

What’s encouraging for Knicks fans is how Barrett has responded to a tumultuous rookie season. Barrett has shown a determination to improve that not all rookies do when faced with adversity. Barrett’s maturity level is beyond his years, and it’s rubbed off on his ability on the court.

RJ Barrett has shown significant 2nd-year development. He plays heavy minutes for the Knicks and has a prominent role with the team. Fans couldn’t have asked for more from their 2nd-year prospect.

It’s hard for me to see Barrett ever becoming an elite, league-leading three-level scorer in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean he can’t become an All-Star caliber player one day. Barrett can impact the game in so many ways – guarding multiple positions, ball-handling and playmaking, and various ways of scoring within 10 feet of the rim. Barrett certainly belongs in this league and is a player that makes all of his teammates better.

Mitchell Robinson can be the defensive anchor in the middle for the New York Knicks

Barrett may have the highest draft pedigree of the young guns, but 3rd-year center Mitchell Robinson has looked to have a clear-cut trajectory as a productive big man since he debuted for the Knicks.

Robinson came into the league as a raw prospect who didn’t even play organized basketball the year before coming into the NBA. Despite his lack of experience, teams were still infatuated by his freakish athletic ability and size. The New York Knicks took the gamble on Robinson in the 2nd round and it’s paid off.

Robinson has always been a project player, which is something that I think causes confusion for some fans. There seems to be this vision of Mitchell Robinson becoming a ball-handling, sharpshooting big man one day, and it’s largely based on viral workout videos of Robinson performing these skills in an empty gym.

What this has done is it leaves people clamoring for more from Robinson, when really, he’s already developed into a dominant presence in the paint right before our eyes. Robinson is not a post-up, playmaking big man. He’s a rim runner on offense who wreaks havoc on the glass.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, Robinson went down with a hand injury that should keep him sidelined into April. Before the injury, Robinson has shown huge strides in his development as a bruising center – He was leading the entire NBA in box-outs per game before the injury.

Robinson has become a dominant defensive anchor in the middle. Not just the freakish blocks on the perimeter, but he plays intense, hard-nosed defense as a shot intimidator in the middle – much of this improvement can be attributed to the coaching of Tom Thibodeau and Kenny Payne.

If Robinson’s offensive game remains limited in the future… so be it. Robinson’s analytics projection as a player already falls in line with many elite rim-running, defensive anchor centers such as DeAndre Jordan and Rudy Gobert. He’s undoubtedly one of the New York Knicks’ most important pieces for the future.

Immanuel Quickley is the instant-offensive, microwave shooter in the backcourt that the New York Knicks haven’t had in a long time

Really, when was the last time the Knicks had a homegrown guard that was this good of a scorer? Allan Houston? Immanuel Quickley was the 25th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and he’s already shown in his young career that maybe he should’ve gone top-5.

Quickley is a dynamic, score-first guard who also has some point guard skills. It’s hard to say what his ceiling is, but he has already shown that he can be a consistent knockdown shooter in the league. Quickley’s ability to create space for himself so early in his career is rare for a rookie. Is Quickley going to be Lou Williams? Gilbert Arenas? Eric Gordon?

It’s the ability to take over games so early in his career that makes Quickley so exciting. Sure, there have been great rookie performances from the rookies of Knicks past, but none of them could take over games with instant, off-the-dribble scoring like Quickley.

Immanuel Quickley’s ability to get instant-buckets is something Knick fans have been dying for from their guards.  For all we know, he could be the Knicks’ best player in a few years.

The jury is still out on how much of a point-guard Quickley can truly become. He certainly knows how to create space and open up opportunities for teammates – But his vision and ability as a passer are hard to gauge at this point.

Quickley’s game has captured the attention of players around the league. The Knicks now have 3 players they’ve drafted who have legitimate All-Star potential. However, the leader of this young core is older and has already cemented himself as a premier frontcourt player in the NBA.

New York Knicks: Julius Randle’s transformation has changed the course of the franchise

Julius Randle may have just turned 26 years old, and it may be a stretch to call him a “Young player”, but it looks as though he just entered his prime. There’s no other way to put it: Randle has blossomed into a star player.

“Star player” may instantly trigger debates and arguments on what the “true definition” is, but Randle has played at a level that no Knick has in a very long time. Randle may be older than the homegrown players but he has embraced his role as the leader of this team. The Knicks suddenly have an All-Star player in his prime to lead the way and help their promising draft-picks develop.

Randle’s game helps everyone else – He stretches the floor, demands double teams, dominates the glass, and he hits big shots when it counts. He’s the alpha-dog on the team. There are plenty of teams with “A promising group of young players” with no direction – The Bulls, Kings, T-Wolves, Magic – Who knows where they will go, they still seem directionless. The Knicks have a young core and a direction.

It’s never easy for a young team to find a balance of player development and winning basketball, and it doesn’t come without casualties — The Knicks have essentially buried Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox on the depth chart. Yet the team has found a group of young players who have bought into coach Tom Thibodeau’s system, and it genuinely feels like there is a strong culture in place. The Knicks look built to last.

The Knicks’ core-4 of Randle, Barrett, Quickley, and Robinson are players of all different positions and skillsets. When the season is over, the Knicks will add 2 more first-round draft picks in what is expected to be a phenomenal 2021 draft class. The future of The New York Knicks is looking bright.