3 things Knicks can learn from Rangers’ run in NHL playoffs
By Adam Kester
Play The Kids!
It’s something that we heard over and over from Knicks fans, begging head coach Tom Thibodeau to play the Knicks’ young guns. No one ever wants to be stuck in “playing veterans while still being a terrible team” purgatory, and the Knicks have been there quite often.
Look, I don’t want to dive into too many specifics with the Knicks players because we’ve all talked about it so much, but there is a potential ending here where the Knicks’ young players do end up being key parts of their team.
Even if their minutes haven’t always been heavy, you can absolutely say Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin have gotten better since their rookie season. They’ve “developed” under Thibodeau.
The next step is to ramp up their playing time in year three. Make sure that Toppin and Quickley have consistent roles, get guys like Quentin Grimes more looks off the bench, and simply make sure that you’re actually building through the draft.
The Rangers, even when they were bad in recent years, could still be really fun to watch because you were watching a young team grow. You were getting to see the growing pains of a young team — flashes of elite play, a lot of head-scratching play, but a team that gave you some hope for the future. It’s easy to root for.
Some of the Rangers’ young stars, Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko, were playing on the team’s bottom lines for long stretches early in their careers, much to the chagrin of some Rangers fans. But they kept playing. Most importantly, they kept playing in key moments. They learned how to play in the NHL in high-pressure moments.
Now, you’re watching a Rangers team with multiple players under the age of 23 playing MAJOR roles in the playoffs. Kakko, Lafreniere, K’Andre Miller, Filip Chytil, Braden Schneider, and Adam Fox — they’re all significant parts of the team. It’s now time for the Knicks to ensure that their young guys (mostly the players entering years three and four) have cemented their roles.