The Knicks’ top offseason priority has never been more obvious

The Knicks headed into the offseason with many questions that need to be answered. Do they plan to bring back Tom Thibodeau? Are they willing to explore trading Karl-Anthony Towns? Where can they get more wing depth? The Thibodeau question was answered early, as they elected to part with their head coach just a few days after their season concluded. I would imagine they already have an idea of who will replace Thibodeau at the helm. Considering that, their number one offseason priority just became finding another ball-handler.

Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, and Delon Wright are all free agents, and it is unclear if any will be coming back. It is hard to imagine that Payne would return, as he saw his minutes significantly reduced in the playoffs, before being completely removed from the rotation.

The Knicks will still have Deuce McBride off the bench, or perhaps even starting now that Thibodeau will no longer be the head coach. Either way, they are in desperate need of a trustworthy ball-handler to alleviate pressure from Jalen Brunson. Both by giving him more extended periods of rest and by playing alongside him and allowing him to operate more off-ball.

Knicks struggled with ball pressure

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Indiana Pacers relentlessly pressured the Knicks' ball-handlers the second that the ball entered play. The result? The Knicks turned the ball over 15.8 times per 100 possessions, up from 13.8 per 100 possessions in the series before against Boston.

Brunson in particular felt the pressure, committing uncharacteristic turnovers regularly over the course of the series. When the Knicks tried to up the pressure on the Pacers by having Mikal Bridges pick Tyrese Haliburton higher up the floor, they would simply have Andrew Nembhard handle the rock instead.

Simply put, that is not a luxury that the Knicks shared. Without Brunson, they lack players who can put the ball on the deck and not only create for others, but also get their own shot off as well. Outside of just the turnovers, the amount of work Brunson had to do just to get the ball up the floor clearly impacted him throughout the series.

The Knicks are limited on money and assets, but will need to exhaust all options in finding suitable bench guards. Among potential options are veteran guard Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, Malcolm Brogdon, and Ty Jerome. Schroder and Jerome would likely command more money than the Knicks are willing or able to pay, however.