New York Knicks: 3 Takeaways from the preseason

The New York Knicks offense is in elite territory

While the 2020-21 Knicks team was full of hard-working players who gave their all on every possession, it’s clear that they had a bit of a talent deficit compared to other elite teams. They made up for it in the regular season by instilling an aggressive defense and throwing off opponents by playing at the slowest pace in the league.

This caused them to score just 107.0 points per game, ranking 26th in the entire NBA.

That shouldn’t be the case this season, as the Knicks made sure to add and retain offensive talent. They brought back 6th Man of the Year finalist Derrick Rose and sharpshooter Alec Burks to supplement a bench unit that will be expecting second-year leaps from Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin.

Their bench group will likely rank among the best backup units in the league, but the revamped starting lineup has got fans the most excited.

4-time All-Star Kemba Walker will now be handling the point guard duties while sharpshooting wing Evan Fournier will be spacing the floor, not to mention the return of a bulked-up Mitchell Robinson at center after a foot injury ended his 2021 season.

The Knicks averaged 116.3 points per game in the preseason, ranking 4th leaguewide. They also finished within the top ten in rebounds, assists, three-point percentage, and free-throw percentage.

They’ve been able to achieve those numbers even with Walker and Fournier going through some early struggles, which is an extremely positive sign for overall team success.

Perhaps the most promising aspect is ranking 7th in total assists after finishing 29th last season. Elite passing is a staple of every top offense, and the team’s unselfishness has led to some gorgeous displays of ball movement.

The Knicks’ defense may not be as stout as last season, but they’ll absolutely make up for it with an offense that should be firing on all cylinders.