I can agree that this is a bit of a loaded question and there could be any number of answers to who the most important player on the NY Knicks is today.
And while I’m aware basketball is a team sport, I do think the importance of a few certain player’s success outweighs the others.
I stumbled across an interesting little article titled “These Are the Top 5 Most Important Players in the NBA in 2021-22” by modernnba.com the other day and when it came to the Knicks, I was slightly surprised with who the article pegged as the most important player on the team.
The author broke down why he believed that Derrick Rose’s success this year could make or break the Knicks.
Is RJ Barrett the most important player on the NY Knicks?
Although, when asking the fanbase to take a vote, Twitter had a difference in opinion.
The author had this to say regarding Rose:
"While I agree Barrett’s continued ascension is key to the Knicks continuing to climb up the Eastern Conference Standings, to me (and MSR agrees) the most important member of the Knicks is Rose. His impact last year on the team’s second unit was extraordinary. Fans constantly begged for Rose to replace Elfrid Payton, a change that coach Tom Thibodeau made during the playoff series against the Hawks, but the change of pace that Rose brought off the bench was a huge advantage for the team during the regular season.Rose shot a career-high 41.1% from three-point range – a far cry from his early years when critics said he couldn’t shoot the basketball – and his 48.7 FG% was his best since the 2009 season with the Thibodeau and the Bulls. And if you listen to the sounds coming out of training camp already, Rose is primed to play the same role this season as well, which will benefit the new additions of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier as well as rookie Deuce McBride – a handpicked Thibodeau selection who figures to play immediate rotation minutes."
I can agree that having an extension of your head coach on the court who knows the system inside and out is crucial to any team’s success.
Add that to the fact that Derrick Rose is a former MVP in the league and still has one of the higher basketball I.Q.’s on the roster today and of course, it should pay dividends during crunch time.
But frankly, Rose’s minutes are likely to be somewhat limited and when I think of a team’s success I try to consider both short and long-term into the equation.
The most important player has to be someone who’ll be on the court 35+ minutes per night and has the ability to be here 5-10 years from now as well.
This is why I believe that the player who will have the greatest impact on the Knicks if he takes his game to the next level is none other than RJ Barrett.
After the team invested the 3rd overall pick on RJ just 2 years ago, he was immediately tasked with ushering in a new era for the Knicks.
Considering that he’s the highest draft pick New York has had since they drafted Patrick Ewing back in 1985, the pressure for him to lead the team to heights it hasn’t seen in nearly a decade was imminent.
The front office is clearly gearing up for a massive trade at some point in the next two years after using up the entirety of its cap space this summer.
They no longer have the money available to offer out to any of the big-name free agents until at least the summer of 2024.
Since we’re living in the era of “The Big 3″, the front office has to find at least 2 more players to pair with Julius Randle if they plan on competing for a title in the near future.
Whether one of those Superstars is already on the team in RJ Barrett or not is totally up to RJ himself.
After a subpar rookie season, RJ truly stepped it up in more than a few ways last year showing an insane work ethic and a hunger to become great.
The goal moving forward should be to remain as attractive of a destination as possible by winning games and competing in the playoffs so that when the right players come available, they” consider New York as a viable destination to enhance their careers.
It would make things a whole lot easier on Leon Rose and Co. if RJ could become an All-Star caliber talent over the next season or two so that when they decide to upgrade the roster, only one major move has to be made.
I’m not expecting a huge increase in scoring output from RJ this year due to the plethora of playmakers and bucket-getters the team has added this summer, but I do want to see him get better at creating for others as well as bump up his scoring efficiencies this season.
Even if he could replicate the same numbers across the board this upcoming year but do so while taking fewer shots per game, that would be more than enough proof to me that he’s someone the team can build the next 10 years around.
Anywho, this question is entirely up to interpretation and personal opinion, so who do you think is the most important player on the Knicks today?