The New York Knicks started out hot in the summer league, and even with a current 2-1 record, they could end up competing in the championship.
Although the summer league is not a great indicator of regular season success, it can be a good assessor of individual young talent. In this category, it seems New York may have a couple names that are proving to be threats for everyday roster spots next season.
The Knicks have invested heavily in a patient rebuild, building piece by piece through the draft and free agency moves, rather than swinging for a massive star player.
Although every franchise covets getting the star player, some franchises have developed their own through the years, and have created championship caliber rosters through the process. The greatest example of this is the Golden State Warriors.
I’m not saying New York has found its Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson, but I do think this summer league has surely opened a discussion about the Knicks’ young arsenal of talent, and what exactly might await their futures.
The quality of recent Knicks draft picks
Any grievances you may harbor with Leon Rose and his front office can stand, but what is hard to argue with is the pure talent they have acquired and built through the draft.
When Rose came to the big city, many believed he was brought in to bring a big name with him. This was an expectation and conclusion formed through the media, and after striking out on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, many were eager to call his tenure an immediate failure.
Many of those expectations were wrong, though, and Rose never came here to spend the New York fortune on just one player. Maybe he had a different vision, one built on patience and strategy. One building a true infrastructure for the franchise, rather than gutting them to their core.
The value of Knicks draft picks and cap space
A team with no room left on their cap table and no draft stock to assess is a team with very little ability to get better or change in any way. We have seen this play out in Brooklyn after the Kevin Garnett trade, and now in Los Angeles with the Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook trades.
Those trades gutted those franchises and greatly altered their abilities to do anything in free agency or the trade market.
On the other hand, when the team is patient and builds from within, like the Warriors, they control the league with their ability to be involved in just about anything. Golden State was able to sign Durant with its cap space, as well as draft players like James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga a few years later.
This was because they saw value in the draft and were patient with the process. They let Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green develop into their roles as leaders on the team. They developed their bench talents, like Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney, into perennial starters. They trusted them getting better and did not rush to trade them for an immediate “solution.”
The Knicks are following a blueprint
The Knicks have historically looked for shortcuts to success, often overpaying in value for players or being the ensued winners of free agency when they miss out on their target.
Some examples of this include signing Amar’e Stoudemire after missing out on LeBron James, harboring the future for Carmelo Anthony ahead of free agency, and trading a first-round pick for Andrea Bargnani.
Regardless of anything, these were all moves that lacked the principles of patience and resulted in very little success.
The “Knicks of new” have not been condemned to this same fate. They have not oversold their youth for a big name past their prime, like Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal. They have not overpaid (no, they did not overpay Julius Randle or Jalen Brunson) in free agency for a quick fix.
They have even admitted to failures, overhauling a massive part of the roster this summer after failing to have the success they envisioned last season.
They are sculpting this roster with a plan and are building an exciting young team.
The pieces of the blueprint
The summer league has proven to showcase the talents of Quentin Grimes, Jericho Sims, and Miles McBride in the preliminary games of the tournament. All have been spectacular in their own regards, and have made cases to be a part of New York’s future.
These three aren’t the climax of the Knicks’ young talent, though. Over the past couple seasons, the team has landed talent in both rounds of the draft and continues to develop them into pieces of the rotation.
Mitchell Robinson made history recently, becoming the first New York draft pick to sign an extension since Charlie Ward. RJ Barrett expects to join him soon, becoming the first Knicks lottery pick to sign an extension in decades.
It has been all too long since New York has had solidified young talent on the roster and zero disgruntled stars looking for a way out.
Joined by Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, and hopefully Cam Reddish, the team has arguably one of the most impressive rooms of youth in the entire association.
The change in the New York Knicks’ culture
Despite failing to meet their objective, the Knicks never backed down last season. The team has committed to a head coach and a front office, and continues to work towards winning. Many wanted the franchise to commit to a tank last season, but that is not how you build success.
We saw this with Kristaps Porzingis, as the Latvian prodigy quickly got disgruntled with the franchise as they continued to change head coaches and not piece together any form of development.
On top of this, the team scapegoated Melo and forced a trade that was very undesirable for their franchise player.
What this administration is proving is patience. They are not scapegoating Julius Randle out of New York. They are not trading their young players and picks for another fallen star.
They are fighting to win games. They are trusting their draft picks and the players on their roster. They are actively retooling and getting the guys they want.
It could be argued that never before in history have the Knicks had such an overwhelming plethora of talent on their roster, and this is a massive bode to the patience and strategy of a savvy front office.
Patience constructs success. We have seen this proven in professional sports many times. Fans should have more trust and faith in their front office, as they are proving to have broken many bad habits that have cursed the Knicks for years.
Trust the process, and get ready to watch one of the league’s most exciting young teams in 2022-23.
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