NY Knicks: 3 positive takeaways from the 2021-22 season

1: The Knicks ‘kids’ steal the show

It wasn’t just the emphatic play of Immanuel Quickley, it was a slew of New York neophytes proving they’re ready to be the pieces around Barrett going forward.

Obi Toppin blossomed when the opportunity finally came for the second-year forward to play valuable minutes in place of Randle.

Toppin, mainly notable for his elite athleticism and dunking ability, became an all-around threat over the past month. He became an offensive weapon, showcasing his explosive work at the rim with a newly found confidence outside the arch.

It would seem his launch into relevancy came from nowhere, but when asked by New York Daily News’ Stephan Bondy about his sudden success, Toppin had this to say:

"“When you’re in the game and you have the opportunity to get the reps in and mess up, and learn from those mess ups, that helps a lot. And these last couple games I’m starting to learn. I’m getting a lot more minutes and I’m starting to see little mistakes I’m doing, and I can easily fix those by learning. I wouldn’t know what to fix if I wasn’t put in those positions. So I feel like me having that opportunity is helping me a lot.”"

The New York Knicks have a multitude of young stars

Quickley and Toppin both made cases for becoming future NBA starters (and maybe even stars) this past month, but it takes more than stars to win championships; it takes the whole team. The Knicks may have found some key contributors to their future success this season as well.

One of my personal favorites from this year’s New York squad was Quentin Grimes. I was a massive fan of Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane out of college, and his game has now translated and contributed to Memphis’ contending franchise. I see a lot of that potential in Grimes from the relatively small sample size we got from him this year.

He was all-around solid night in and night out. Grimes was consistently a threat from 3-point range and an above-average defender. He showed play-making ability, something the Knicks severely lacked before Quickley’s big run. He was a fan favorite before his rookie year was halted by an injury.

New York has suffered tremendously when Mitchell Robinson has gone down with recurring injuries throughout his career. No offense to veteran captain Taj Gibson, but having to turn to him to log heavy minutes, like in the 2021 playoff series, has proven to be a major weak point for the Knicks.

With Nerlens Noel missing essentially the entire season as well, New York needed another solution. That solution was rookie center Jericho Sims.

Sims came out and proved to be everything Robinson is but with double the durability. With another small sample size, Sims excelled when given starter minutes. He’s a prolific rebounder and has great feet and athleticism for a player of his size.

With his raw talent, similar to Robinson out of college, Sims has shown several characteristics that could lead to his development in the NBA. When I think about Sims, I think of Robert Williams and the success that he’s had in his role for the Boston Celtics.

Robinson’s set to be an unrestricted free agent this year, so look to Sims to become a potential pivotal rotation player on the horizon of the Knicks’ upcoming season.

A potential new rotation for the New York Knicks

With Quickley earning a chance to prove he’s New York’s future point guard this offseason, and the unknown variable that is Cam Reddish, the Knicks have built the foundations of a starting rotation to surround Barrett next season.

If New York opened next season with a lineup consisting of…

1. Immanuel Quickley
2. RJ Barrett
3. Cam Reddish
4. Obi Toppin
5. Jericho Sims
6. Quentin Grimes

…I wouldn’t be upset. Put these guys on a more balanced scale of playing time with veteran assets and the Knicks could be at the very early stages of the success that Memphis and Boston have created within their franchises.