The New York Knicks just signed Moussa Cisse to a two-year offer sheet in restricted free agency. Cisse spent this past year with the Dallas Mavericks, and though he didn’t play a ton of minutes, signing him to an offer sheet is exactly what the Knicks needed to do for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Cissee is 23 years old. He’s still just trying to break into the NBA. And based on the numbers he put up with the Mavs this past season, he’s the exact type of player the Knicks needed to replace Mitchell Robinson with. The offensive rebounding Cisse could bring to the table should be very useful for the Knicks, and he’s young enough to still develop into something more than he is.
After signing Andre Drummond to be the actual Robinson replacement, Cisse is a perfect swing for the Knicks to take, especially for Towns’ sake.
Moussa Cisse is exactly what Karl-Anthony Towns needed
The Knicks needed some youth at the center position. They let Ariel Hukporti walk in free agency (he joined the Philadelphia 76ers), but replacing him with Cisse was a great move.
Cisse is an athlete. And he’s a big 6-foot-11. He has the makings of a guy who can be a great rebounder and shot-blocker at the NBA level, but he needs some developmental time.
A two-year offer sheet would give the Knicks a chance to get a close look at what Cisse can give them on the court. And above all else, it will give them another option behind Towns.
After the Knicks lost Robinson and Hukporti, they were left without any backup centers on the roster. Signing Drummond helped that problem, but the Knicks were still a bit short-staffed at the position.
Cisse is a swing option. A young player who may not be the best just yet but has the potential to be. He can soak up some regular-season minutes behind KAT, all while developing into a better player.
His offensive rebounding is perhaps the most notable statistic, which is good for the Knicks, considering how great of an offensive rebounder Robinson was for them off the bench.
In his 13.9 minutes per contest last year (38 appearances), Cisse grabbed 2.3 offensive rebounds per game. That’s 6.0 offensive boards per 36 minutes.
If nothing else, that’s a great place to start. The Knicks desperately needed more big-man support behind KAT (and Drummond), and Cisse looks like a perfect guy for the job.
Now, they just better hope that Dallas doesn’t match the offer sheet.
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