Winners and losers from New York Knicks preseason

New York Knicks fans waited for what felt like an eternity for NBA training camp to open, and just like that, preseason is already over. Next up on New York’s slate is opening night against Boston, a heated matchup that should deliver for the team’s first of 82 games.

Preseason is hyped up once it begins, but the excitement typically dies down after the first game. The contests don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but they still give rotation players their first chance to showcase what they worked on over the summer and give non-rotation players the spotlight to prove they’re worthy of a roster spot.

Winners and losers from New York Knicks 2023-24 preseason

Winner: Mitchell Robinson

Mitchell Robinson came out of the gate hot for the Knicks in their first preseason game with 10 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in 23 minutes.

He continued that dominance throughout the preseason, looking like the player that shutdown Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the Knicks’ first-round playoff series.

Robinson is far from a stretch five, but he’s the kind of traditional center Tom Thibodeau loves. He’s been left off several ‘top players in the NBA’ lists leading up to the start of the regular season, but there’s a reason why Quentin Grimes said that Robinson is “probably the most important guy on the team.” The starting center does the nitty-gritty work that goes unnoticed by outsiders.

Sure, preseason games don’t mean much, but Robinson’s poised for a career year in New York based on how he looked.

Loser: The players who will be waived

New York has 12 players on guaranteed contracts and could add at least three more before the regular season starts. The Knicks have already waived two players — Isaiah Roby and Jaylen Martin.

DaQuan Jeffries is on a non-guaranteed contract, while Charlie Brown Jr., Duane Washington Jr., Jacob Toppin, and Ryan Arcidiacono are on training camp deals.

The name that stands out the most from that list is Arcidiacono, who the Knicks were reluctant to include in the trade for Josh Hart but had to because he helped to match salary. New York re-signed Arcidiacono to an Exhibit 9 deal in September, adding a fourth Villanova player to the roster.

Arcidiacono is a favorite of Tom Thibodeau, as is DaQuan Jeffries, who was waived last season after dealing with a concussion during training camp.

Based on what Thibodeau said, it won’t be an easy decision (subscription required) to decide which other players go.

"“It’s really true. It’s going to be a difficult decision,” Thibodeau said. “That’s how close they are. They’ve all done a terrific job.”"

It’ll be interesting to see the route that New York takes, but the safest bet is that Arcidiacono is a player that will stick around.

Winner: RJ Barrett’s free throws

RJ Barrett said he worked on becoming a more accurate free throw shooter during the offseason, and that work has been evident in the preseason. He shot a perfect 9-of-9 in New York’s first exhibition game and 9-of-12 against Minnesota.

Did he change his form? No. As The Athletic’s Fred Katz wrote, Barrett said he got a lot of reps in (subscription required) over the summer.

"“I’ve just had this same form for a couple of years now,” Barrett said. “I’ve just been working on it, so it’s more natural.”"

Barrett was more aggressive in the playoffs than in the regular season, driving to the rim and shooting 76.9% from the free throw line in 11 games. He’s a career 70.9% free throw shooter and nearly matched his career-best of 74.6% in 2022-23 (74%). If Barrett can stay consistent at the line for the 82-game season, he could finish in the 78-80% range in 2023-24.

The 23-year-old rarely gets a favorable whistle, but if he continues to progress at finishing through contact and getting to the line, the team’s 2022-23 free throw average of 76.1% should increase.

Loser: Evan Fournier

Did Evan Fournier catch the eye of a team in need of a three-point shooter with his preseason play? If he did, the Knicks could still be reluctant to trade him because the hope seems to be that his $18.9 million salary can be included in a package for a star.

During training camp, he said he knows he could help the Knicks if given the chance and that he’ll make it hard for Tom Thibodeau to ignore him. Fournier shot 3-of-7 from three for 11 points in New York’s preseason opener, 3-of-6 for 15 points against Minnesota, 1-of-4 from three for 10 points in the loss to Boston, and 2-of-5 for six points versus Washington.

When Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves visited the Garden last Saturday, Fournier’s fellow Frenchman advocated for him.

Unfortunately for them, Fournier and Gobert’s pleas were brushed aside. Thibodeau’s nine-man rotation doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and as the head coach noted at Media Day, New York performed better when Fournier wasn’t on the floor in 2022-23.

At least Fournier proved that he still has it, and hopefully, it boosted his morale, as unless an injury happens, he’ll likely remain outside of the rotation.

• 13 Players the Knicks held onto for too long
• New York Knicks all-time draft bust starting 5
• 9 Players the Knicks gave up on too soon
• 10 Biggest offseason blunders in Knicks history
• Ranking the 6 Worst Knicks starters of the Carmelo era