I’ve yet to find a phrase more beloved by sportswriters than ‘cautious-optimism.’ You see, writers love espousing their cautious optimism because it acknowledges that, yes, shit might hit the fan, but the possibility remains that expectations could be exceeded. It is for these reasons that Knicks fans, especially, should have cautious optimism regarding the 2020-21 season.
When your team has been as bad, for as many years, as the Knicks have been, fans reasonably expect that the themes and trends they have become accustomed to will continue into eternity. Yes, rookies could flounder. Promising could-be-core-players might not take their next steps. The new coach may not turn out to be all he’s cracked up to be. The Knicks season could end with another lottery pick.
I’m cautiously optimistic. There are reasons to believe that this Knicks season could be the first one in a long, long time that brings respect and legitimacy to the Big Apple’s basketball team.
What Direction Are the Knicks Headed In?
The Knicks picked up three wins, two against the Cavaliers, and one against the Pistons.
Once you hit rock bottom, there’s really only one direction to go. Luckily for the Knicks, rock-bottom has been hit about half a dozen times in the past half-dozen years. I’ll skip the part where I refresh you on everything that has gone wrong for the Knicks in recent memory. Lord knows there is plenty of that on the internet already.
Anyway, why shouldn’t Knicks fans have optimism? It’s about time some glory was returned to the Mecca of Basketball!
In the 2020-21 season, the Knicks need to take the next step in the right direction. Expectations for a deep playoff run are almost certainly unfounded. Knicks fans finally have reason to be optimistic: some of the right pieces are starting to fall into place for what has long been the NBA’s most embarrassing franchise.
For this Knicks season to be viewed as a successful one, the team has to emerge from the rut they subsist in and begin to re-write the narrative surrounding New York basketball. Whether or not they can do so, and thus, make this season a productive one, hinges on three questions:
Key Questions for the Knicks in 2021
- Can rookies Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley establish themselves as pieces the franchise wants to move forward with?
- Will RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson take the next step in their development? Can they become cornerstone pieces the team can depend upon for years to come?
- Does newly hired Head Coach Tom Thibodeau have the ability to do what nobody else in the world seems equipped for? Can Thibs facilitate development and return Knickerbocker basketball to relevance?
Rookies Toppin and Quickley Cause for Optimism Among Fans
Knicks fans have many reasons to be optimistic abound his future in New York.
What can be realistically expected out of the Knicks 2020 first-round draft picks Obi Toppin (selected at number eight) and Immanuel Quickley (selected at nunber 25)?
Frankly, a lot.
Toppin’s Potential
Toppin is a 6’9″ forward and native of Brooklyn, New York. Better yet, he plays the kind of game that will shine under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. Last year, in his final season with Dayton, Toppin dunked more times than anyone else has in college basketball over the past ten years.
Obi Toppin put on a dunk exhibition!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 8, 2020
? Watch the bench during the Between the legs dunk
pic.twitter.com/e8KG44QZFz
Toppin, a big, physical player, has impressive passing abilities and has been praised by Thibodeau as a “very gifted scorer”. However, without a Summer League or an extensive off-season, Thibodeau recognizes that it will take time for Toppin to get into a groove and find his game.
with a dunk in a preseason game against the Detroit Pistons.
Is Quickley the Knicks Future Point Guard?
The Knicks’ second pick of the first round has seen his stock rise considerably since he was selected on draft night. Best known for his shooting ability and basketball IQ, Quickley has been impressive, leading the New York media to begin questioning whether or not he is the point guard of the future.
Quickley can be a long-term staple at point guard for the Knicks. And I thought I was a hopeless optimist!
During the preseason, Quickley looked, for lack of a better term, pretty darn quick. He was playing well off of the pick-and-roll, finding open players all across the court, and pushing the tempo. Already, the 21-year-old finds himself in contention for a starting job on the team.
Quickley’s success is nothing new. At the University of Kentucky last season, he won Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and averaged over 16 points per game. Given the strong ties between the Knicks front office and the powerhouse that is Kentucky basketball, some questioned whether the pick was a premature one.
Despite the limited sample size against NBA-caliber opponents, Quickley has shown a lot of promise. It’s still too early to tell what kind of role he can play with the franchise long-term but, for now, he looks like the real deal.
Just a sneak peek of @IQ_GodSon
— Jide Sodipo ? (@jidesodipo) October 17, 2020
5 minutes 3pt endurance shooting to finish is workout.
Finished this last part making 39-40….
Made 78-84 ? Overall!!!
Name a better shooting PG in the draft? pic.twitter.com/H9tTBmF15u
Some Veterans are Showing Promise of Franchise Cornerstones
Barrett (left) and Robinson (right) will be depended upon – despite their youthfulness – to emerge as leaders.
Toppin and Quickley are joining a team that is already among the youngest in the NBA. The makeup of the Knicks’ current roster ties them with the Memphis Grizzlies for the second-youngest team in the league, with an average age of 23.9. (The only younger team is the Minnesota Timberwolves at 23.6).
Without a single player on their roster in their 30’s, the Knicks will rely heavily on their younger talent, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If the Knicks want to be serious competitors down the road, they are going to need to see Barrett and Robinson continue to develop into the kind of pieces you can build a contender around. In the long-term, these Knicks will ideally become the kind of players the NBA’s best want to come to New York and compete alongside.
RJ Barrett’s All-Star Potential
The third overall pick from the 2019 draft felt snubbed when he wasn’t selected to be on either the first or second All-Rookie Teams last season, and rightfully so.
Barrett averaged over 14 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists across 56 games, but lack of a strong supporting cast and a late-season injury didn’t help his selection chances. Nonetheless, Barrett wasn’t shy about his disappointment.
“Not going to lie, it bothered me a lot. I really don’t understand why I wasn’t on it. But it was motivation, motivation for next season. It was good to have an extra chip on my shoulder and just prove myself even more.”
RJ Barrett on not being selected to the NBA All-Rookie Team, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps
Now in his sophomore season, the 20-year-old needs to continue developing into a versatile scorer. Through four preseason games, it looks like he is well on his way towards doing so.
Barrett’s hard work throughout the long-offseason appears to have paid dividends. During those preseason games, he showed increased confidence to get to the rim and composure to finish there. His free-throw shooting, a blemish on his campaign last year, looks improved as well.
Thibodeau has taken note.
[Barrett’s] got a big upside to him, [and he can] be a leader. I like the way he is [able to] mix it up. He’s running the floor … moving without the ball. And then I think he’s gotten a lot more confident in his shot. He’s worked hard on a lot of different areas of his game [and] I think we’ll see him continue to grow because of the way he approaches [games and practices].
Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau on RJ Barrett after a preseason game against the Pistons,
per Empire Sports Media
Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox: Causes for Concern or Optimism?
The 7-foot-center shot a league-best .742 in field goals during his sophomore campaign.
By the end of this season, the Knicks need to have a very good sense of what the future holds for both Robinson and Knox.
Drafted 36th overall in 2018, Robinson’s numbers trended upwards following his rookie season. During his sophomore campaign, Robinson’s minutes played increased, as did his points-per-game and shooting percentage.
Knicks fans should be optimistic that Robinson will take the next step in developing into a reliable center for the franchise in years to come, given Thibodeau’s high praises:
“He was terrific. The same thing can be said for him about the way he’s been practicing and working and getting there early and staying late, practicing well, concentrating. I thought he played as hard as he could.”
Thibodeau on Robinson following the Knicks preseason game against the Cavaliers.
(During Robinson’s 27 minutes on the floor during the game,
the Knicks boasted an impressive +26 scoring differential)
Conversely, Knox, the ninth overall pick of the same draft year, regressed last season after showing promise in his rookie campaign. Knox’s sophomore slump was all too real, but without a reliable small center on the roster, he will have the opportunity to re-prove his worth in 2020-21.
The Knicks recently picked up the fourth-year option on Knox’s rookie contract, meaning he will likely still be on the roster for the 2021-22 season, barring a trade. However, if Knox can’t get going early on during his third season, he will likely find himself buried on the bench, just as he did last year.
Thibodeau Is Ready for the Hardest Job in Sports
Tom Thibodeau is the 11th different head coach the New York Knicks have hired since Jeff Van Gundy unexpectedly resigned from the job in 2001. And while 12 head coaches in 19 seasons certainly isn’t great, Knicks fans have reason to hope that this new guy is not only different, but actually decent.
First off, ‘Thibs’ knows how to win games. Only four active NBA coaches have higher winning percentages than Thibodeau’s .621, indicating that the 62-year-old certainly knows how to get the most out of his players.
Thibodeau’s known for working his players hard and instilling a defensive-first mindset, which the Knicks could undoubtedly benefit from. Last season, the Knicks had the ninth-worst defensive rating and the fifth-worst adjusted margin of victory among NBA teams.
Thibodeau has made it clear that he wants to win. Knicks fans can expect him to call players out when their efforts are lackadaisical, to let referees hear it when he disagrees with their calls, and to prioritize playing time for those who earn it.
If Thibodeau can get the Knicks to hustle on both sides of the ball, play hard on defense and quick on transitions, buy-in to his system and the program, the Knicks might actually have a shot at a playoff spot.
To Instill Optimism, the Knicks Must Be an Ascending Basketball Team
? Our guys. ?#NewYorkForever | #WallpaperWednesday pic.twitter.com/TO0AQS1HUv
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 23, 2020
Yes, I said it. The Knicks could make a run for the playoffs.
The NBA will have a play-in tournament at the end of the season to determine who qualifies for the post-season. To qualify, all the Knicks need to do is finish with at least the tenth-highest winning percentage in the conference. That doesn’t seem too, outlandish, right?
If the Knicks can qualify for the playoffs, it will be a testament to a shift in the landscape of New York basketball. For years, the Knicks have been seen as inept and undesirable, which is why they can’t land a marquee free-agent and seriously contend with the other powerhouses in the eastern conference.
During that season, in which the Knicks won only 21 games, there was not much cause for optimism among fans.
Keep in mind, the team is still a very young one, so a slow start is to be expected. However, this Knicks team needs to be an ascending one. If the franchise can improve as the season goes on, build some momentum, and compete for a playoff spot, the season will be a successful one.
To do so, the young guns need to prove that there is a future for them in New York and Thibs needs to show that he is significantly less inept than his 11 predecessors.
New York was once the ‘Mecca of Basketball,’ and it can be again. Creating a winning culture will allow the franchise to recruit a superstar. In today’s NBA, you can’t compete without (at least) one superstar.
If you build it, they will come. I’m cautiously optimistic that this season, the Knicks will truly begin to build it.
