Winners and losers from Knicks’ 2022 preseason

The New York Knicks wrapped up the preseason with a 105-89 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday night to finish 3-1. After a busy offseason, the Knicks impressed during the preseason,  but the real work will begin in two nights in Memphis.

New York will start the season with a big test on the road against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, who finished 2021-22 with a 56-26 regular season record. The Knicks will have the chance to impress against one of the best young teams in the league.

But before we turn our focus to the regular season, let’s take one final look at the preseason. For the players that are fighting for a spot in Tom Thibodeau’s rotation, the preseason was crucial. Some players starred, and then there were other players that didn’t look too good. Which players should be declared winners of the preseason? And which ones should be declared losers?

Winners and losers from New York Knicks’ 2022 preseason

Winner: RJ Barrett

Expectations are high for RJ Barrett after he signed a four-year, $120 million ($107 million guaranteed) in September. Although it was only the preseason, Barrett put on a show, averaging 19.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 27.5 minutes while shooting 48.2% from the field and 50% from the three-point line.

During the offseason, Barrett said that he worked on finishing at the rim, his decision-making, and his free throws. The work that he put in showed in the preseason, especially his finishing with contact.

How far will RJ Barrett be able to lead the Knicks in 2022-23?

The 22-year-old is entering his fourth season in the league, and 2022-23 is set to be his best one yet after he finished last season reaching his goal of averaging 20 points per game. It certainly helps that New York signed a true point guard in Jalen Brunson during free agency.

Barrett doesn’t have to worry about being hounded with questions about becoming a restricted free agent next summer. With his extension in the rearview mirror, his main focus will be on improving as a player and as the leader of New York.

If Barrett’s able to play at the level that Knicks fans have seen him play at, he could reach another goal of his — becoming an All-Star. The sky is the limit for RJ this season.

Winner: Jalen Brunson

The Knicks’ biggest move of the offseason could’ve been trading for Donovan Mitchell, but after that deal didn’t materialize, signing Jalen Brunson in free agency became the team’s move of the summer.

At long last, New York has a point guard. Read it again. In Brunson’s first few (unofficial) games in orange and blue, he gave fans another reason to be excited about the regular season. The point guard finished behind Barrett with 17.8 points per game and added 3.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 26 minutes. Brunson shot 49% from the floor and 46.2% from behind the arc.

Jalen Brunson will be the difference-maker for the Knicks this season

During the preseason, it was strange to watch Brunson lead the offense. He picked up where he left off in Dallas by driving to the rim and making his presence known on the defensive end, although he stands at six-foot-one.

There have been questions about if Brunson will be able to succeed without playing with Luka Doncic, and questions about him being worth the four-year, $104 million deal that he signed. Based on how Brunson looked in the preseason, it shouldn’t take long for him to start to earn some respect as a Knick, which is a tough thing to do.

Brunson’s made his New York debut already, but expect the energy at MSG on Friday night to be at a whole different level for Jalen Brunson in the Knicks’ home-opener.

Honorable mention winners: Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle

RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson were New York’s two biggest preseason stars, but it wouldn’t be fair to not acknowledge Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle’s performances too.

Robinson capped off the preseason with a 20-point, 12-rebound performance against the Wizards. Tom Thibodeau called him the best offensive rebounder in the NBA, which is a reason why the Knicks re-signed him to a four-year, $60 million deal in free agency. His presence down low will be especially crucial to New York this season, and when he’s out of the game, he has two solid back-ups in Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims.

Then, there’s Julius Randle, who’s coming off a rather disappointing season.

Julius Randle looks like a new player for the Knicks after a down season

Randle’s role this season will be significantly different than the one that he played in 2021-22. There isn’t a need for him to operate will the ball in his hands with both Barrett and Brunson in the lineup.

In the preseason, Randle looked like a new player. Instead of forcing shot after shot, he found his teammates for open (and better) looks. In four games, he recorded 17 assists and only four turnovers.

His best outing of the preseason came last Wednesday against Indiana when he posted 13 points (5-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-6 from three), eight rebounds, and five assists in 25 minutes. It was the best that Randle has looked in a long, long time. Of course, it’s only the preseason, but based on how Randle looked, he could be in for a surprising regular season (in a good way).

Loser: Cam Reddish

The Knicks’ preseason was the most important to Cam Reddish, who’s still fighting for a spot in the rotation after New York traded for him last January. The 23-year-old was dealt an unlucky hand after he sprained his ankle in the team’s preseason debut against the Pistons, but luckily, he was able to start in place of Evan Fournier three nights later.

However, Reddish didn’t prove much of anything. Instead, he showed that there may not be a fit for him in New York. You can attribute this to Thibodeau’s coaching style, but Reddish didn’t do any favors for himself. In three-and-a-half games, the former lottery pick averaged 4.3 points (he scored a total of 17 points), two rebounds, and one assist in 15.8 minutes while shooting 21.4% from the field and 16.7% from three.

Does Cam Reddish have a fit on this Knicks team?

It may be too soon to write off Reddish yet, but for a player that’s entering his fourth season in the NBA, he performed more like a rookie or second-year player. Based on how he played during the preseason, don’t expect to see a lot of Cam Reddish this season unless something changes.

Should’ve been a winner: Immanuel Quickley

It wouldn’t be right to label Immanuel Quickley as a preseason loser, but it’s fair to say that he could’ve played much better than he did. Quickley averaged 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 21 minutes while shooting 34% from the floor and 31.6% from three.

In the loss to Indiana, he shot 4-for-18 from the field and 2-for-7 from three for 12 points. Quickley showed strong flashes during the preseason, and unlike Reddish, his role isn’t up in the air. There also isn’t any reason to believe that Quickley will carry his preseason performance over to the regular season.

In less than 48 hours, we’ll get to see what the Knicks are all about. There’ll be some good, and some bad, but this team should record more than 37 wins in 2022-23.

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