2016-17 NBA Season Predictions for Each NY Knicks Player

Over the NBA preseason, head coach Jeff Hornacek and the new-look New York Knicks began to make good on their promise to deliver a rolling, rapid-fire fast-break offense. The defense was energetic but disorganized. The hustle is there; the sharpness is not.

While the bench players individually have much to offer, no lineup had any success against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the season opener Tuesday night. So we're still left with more than a few questions as 2016-17 gets underway:

Will Lance Thomas play up to form, or will he recline on his cushy new contract? Will Carmelo Anthony share the rock like we know he can or put the brakes on ball movement and become Iso-Melo? Will Hornacek run a three-guard lineup as often as he did in preseason, and if so, will it ever do anything but fall flat? What bench lineup will allow the starters to rest?

Will the injury histories of so many players come back to haunt these Knicks? Most importantly, will I ever get a taste of the B.L.T. Mo'Willy with Cheese lineup I so crave? I'd also like to try some B.B.Q. with Mo' Cheese. 

Read on for predictions...

15-11

Marshall Plumlee

Powerful but foul-prone, Plumlee will have his moments. Those times will likely arrive when opponents bring a dominant big man. Or when an irritating guard (James Harden) who's fond of histrionics (Harden again), draws too many and-1s (yup, Harden). Then again, that guard might think twice about driving so hard if he were to meet a 7'0" 250-pound rhinoceros—who doesn't mind taking the foul call and earning it—at the hoop. (Maybe Harden, but probably not.)

Plumlee will also have a few rim-rocking dunks and soul-shattering blocks along the way. But his play will be limited, with more balanced and experienced options on the roster ahead of him.

MIN	PTS	FG%	REB	AST	BLK
5.0	2.0	53.0	1.5	0.3	0.3

Maurice N'dour

We haven't seen everything N'dour can do yet, but he has given a glimpse of one tidbit that the Knicks desperately lacked last season: steals.

He can generate the kind of plays that shift momentum in the team's favor or grant one more chance to win at the essential moment. N'dour will show his worth in hustle plays, deflections, rebounds, loose balls recovered and all those other intangibles. 

MIN	PTS	FG%	REB	AST	BLK	STL
8.0	2.1	44.5	2.0	0.7	0.5	1.0

Ron Baker

Mwah-ha-haaaa. My sinister plan for Baker has come to fruition. 

We can officially receive forgiveness for rooting that NBA teams would pass over him on draft day. He managed to kick a guaranteed player off the Knicks roster (poor, Sweet Lou Amundson) and secure a spot on the final squad.

Nevertheless, a rookie is a rookie is a rookie. So Hornacek will trust veteran players ahead of him in most cases. The unflappable Baker—no doubt—will earn more minutes as the season progresses, though, giving fans more time to cheer his burly hurtling to the bucket, consistent jump shot and scrappy D. 

MIN	PTS	FG%	3FG%	REB	AST	STL
12.0	4.5	42.5	33.5	1.1	1.2	0.3

Sasha Vujacic

When, oh when, will we put an end to the Sasha-battering? Vujacic was excellent the last month of last season. His career average from downtown is 37.0 percent, he nails buzzer-beaters on the regular, he is a reliable burst of energy and he averaged 8.2 points in under 14 minutes through the preseason. Give the guy a break. (If you're still jealous about his relationship with Maria Sharapova, that ended years ago, so you've gotta let that go, honey.)

At least, he isn't as bad as you say he is. Vujacic didn't get much love Tuesday, with Justin Holiday stealing all the minutes, but both he and Baker may take on more if the Knicks bench struggles to find offense.

MIN	PTS	FG%	3FG%	REB	AST	STL
12.0	8.5	39.0	36.9	1.3	1.8	0.6

Justin Holiday

The Knicks coaching staff showed a lot of faith in Holiday opening night (he played over 26 minutes), and he had a relatively strong first outing. His defense was locked in and he sank two long balls, for an eight-point, six-rebound game.

Unfortunately, he was playing in lineups that were overall weak on offense, and it was part of the reason the bench struggled. The three-guard lineups that generally shift Holiday to small forward have not been successful. They were mediocre through preseason, and a quick look at Tuesday night's per-minute plus/minus shows that all but one of those lineups were duds. If Holiday can stay at the 2 alongside a strong scorer, he might have a reasonably good season.

MIN	PTS	FG%	3FG%	REB	AST	STL
15.0	5.0	40.0	32.0	1.5	1.5	0.7

10-6

Guillermo "Willy" Hernangomez

Hernangomez's graceful skill game has had varying success in the limited test bed of NBA preseason. Twice, his pretty little post maneuvers won him 6-of-10 shooting. Yet against a real defensive big man such as Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat on Oct. 10, he had trouble getting near the bucket and was 1-of-2 for the night. That left the questions unanswered about whether his below-the-rim swiveling footwork and flipping bank shots will be NBA-adequate.

His defense is still a step slow, but it's improving. His passing is excellent. Kyle O'Quinn, shockingly, may have earned the top bench role for now, but Willy won't be far behind for long.

MIN	PTS	FG%	REB	AST	BLK
12.0	4.8	53.0	2.3	1.1	0.2

Mindaugas Kuzminskas

Kuzminskas is a delight to watch. He hurls his delicate form at defenders and loose balls far more fiercely than seems prudent. He's just as quick with a snarl as he is with that sparkling smile. Kuzminskas has not yet locked down his shot from long range, but he's scoring on mid-range drives and heads-up putbacks.

If Thomas fails to get his act together, "Cheese" will take on a bigger role at small forward. His time will increase as the season goes on—particularly if the bench lineup needs scoring and if he puts together more performances like his 18-point, 10-rebound, three-assist, one-block show against the Boston Celtics on Oct. 15. 

MIN	PTS	FG%	3FG%	REB	AST	BLK	STL
12.0	8.0	46.0	32.5	1.2	1.2	0.2	0.4

Lance Thomas

Thomas is the master of his own fate...but at the moment, he isn't showing great mastery of it. His lousy preseason begged the question: Did he just play great last season because it was a contract year?

Don't believe it. Preseason is just preseason, and Thomas will rebound from whatever is holding him back. Don't expect a lot of production on the stat sheet from him with other scorers such as Kuzminskas, Hernangomez and Baker on the roster. But scoring was never his greatest asset anyway. Thomas needs to shake off his funk and start setting screens, denying the lane and contesting passes. Then we'll all be okay. 

MIN	PTS	FG%	3FG%	REB	AST	BLK	STL
20.1	7.5	42.5	38.5	2.5	1.0	0.1	0.5

Kyle O'Quinn

I'd like to have a conversation with the 15 pounds O'Quinn lost in the offseason. They must be some special, sinister pounds of flesh because O'Quinn has been a different player since he shed them.

The last three games of preseason in particular, he solidified his place as the first center off the bench, discovering a new athleticism. (Gone is the vertical jump I mocked for being similar to my grandmother's.) O'Quinn is getting up and down the court, crashing the glass and posting up with more vigor than ever. If he continues, he'll comfortably hold this role above the rookies.

Tuesday night, he also played the 4 to Willy's 5 for a few minutes, and the pairing worked smoothly (one of the few two-man lineups that didn't end in the red).

MIN	PTS	FG%	REB	AST	BLK
19.0	7.5	45.0	5.0	1.5	0.9

Brandon Jennings

With a celebratory shoulder shimmy and a hip wiggle that burlesque dancers would envy, Jennings brings more fun to Madison Square Garden than any player in ages.

His blazing drives and flashy dishes are so irresistible that it's easy to forgive his poor-shooting efficiency. Can he corral his zeal enough to get his field-goal percentage up near 40 percent instead of whirling up and down the court with a woeful 28.3 percent? That was his preseason shooting percentage. Free throws are beautiful things, but and-1s are prettier.

Hornacek also has to help Jennings by settling on some lineups and giving them specific systems to run. Until now, Jennings has made it up as he goes along, which may work against lesser teams in preseason but certainly not against the reigning champs on Ring Night.

MIN	PTS	FG%	3FG%	REB	AST	STL
22.0	9.1	37.0	31.5	1.6	3.5	1.0

5. Courtney Lee

The patron saint of civil engineers is St. Benedict of Nursia. But maybe it should be Courtney Lee because he is the reliable foundation on which all structures should be built (as long as you're not building it in Cleveland).

Legendary defensive Cavs powerhouse (sigh) J.R. Smith foiled Lee again and again Tuesday night. (Take a minute to allow yourself the frustration about Smith's mediocre defense in New York, and then move on.)

Lee was 0-of-5 with two turnovers in under 20 minutes. (In fairness, Smith was 3-of-13.)

However, any day that you need a screen, Lee is there. When you need a pass, he is there. Even his shooting is somehow sturdier, as though the ball is firmer as he efficiently drills it from any point on the court.

Lee was outstanding through preseason, nailing 60 percent of his shots from downtown, (59.4 percent overall). He won't shoot often—not with Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose on the court—but he's dangerous enough that opposing defenses can't forget about him. 

Lee hustles for every loose ball, relentlessly stalks every opponent on offense and reliably drills jumpers. As a result, the Knicks have a shooting guard they shouldn't have to worry about for the first time in forever.

MIN	PTS	FG%	3FG%	REB	AST	STL
31.0	9.1	45.0	38.5	2.6	1.6	1.1

4. Joakim Noah

For the record, Joakim Noah is my boo, my shining star, my No. 1. Me and him against the world, forever and ever.

Nevertheless, I tentatively place him here at No. 4.

Noah himself conceded after preseason that he felt "a step slow defensively," per the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy, and the Knicks are still ramping up his minutes.

However, a step slow defensively for him still ain't half-bad. He kept low-post powerhouse Brook Lopez to a 4-of-11 line during a preseason game. Noah cleverly tricked Lebron James into an offensive foul Tuesday night; he had the best plus/minus of the team by far against Cleveland, despite not scoring.

His offense has also been hot when needed. Noah scored 12 points versus the Brooklyn Nets—much of it when nobody else in blue could find the net. He's running the ball downcourt like a guard (or at least a gangly teenage gazelle), and his passes have been mostly on-target (although the roster is turnover-prone overall).

Plus, it's impossible not to feel a frisson of exhilaration every time he releases a roar when tearing down a rebound. The invigorated Noah will not be quite up to his Defensive Player of the Year reputation this year, but he's still got a grand season of ballin' in store for New York.      

MIN	PTS	FG%	REB	AST	BLK	STL
28.0	9.0	48.0	10.1	4.5	0.3	0.7

3. Kristaps Porzingis

With all these new toys, it's understandable if you started taking for granted the wonder that is Kristaps Porzingis.

But go take your KP doll off the shelf and give him a snuggle because he deserves it. He might be the most talented player on the team right now.

Porzingis swished a couple from so far downtown, Cleveland Indians outfielders said "Wow." (So did TNT analyst Chris Webber while calling the game.) He logged two nasty blocks, 16 points and seven boards. 

His low-post game is also improving, thanks in part to the extra weight he's gained and to a good partner in Noah. Joakim nabbed a difficult offensive rebound Tuesday and fed it low to KP. Porzingis posted up, pump-faked and powered over heavy coverage to draw a foul.

It wasn't perfect, but it showed a maturing game. 

KP looked solid throughout the preseason, too, averaging 51.7 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from behind the arc, 4.5 rebounds and a whopping 1.8 blocks. The only challenge now is for the Knicks to find him. There are certainly times he's open and should have the ball in his hands, but perfecting the system may take time.  

MIN	PTS	FG%	3FG%	REB	AST	BLK	STL
29.0	15.1	44.0	33.8	7.6	1.4	1.8	0.8

2. Derrick Rose

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

Rose scored the first bucket scored this NBA season on a strong, driving layup. Anyone who hadn't seen him play four years ago would shake their heads in disbelief at any comments about "losing some of his explosiveness." He blew past Cavaliers from the arc to the hoop several times Tuesday, finishing with 17 points.

On the other hand, he logged only one assist and had four turnovers.

Coughing up the rock was a problem for the whole starting five, mostly because of dopey passes made with blinders on. Even when Rose got ball movement going, it often stopped with Anthony, who's taken to playing more isolation again.

The Cavaliers are also the reigning champions for many reasons, one of which is their defense. So interpret the assist-to-turnover ratio as you will.

Despite missing all but one preseason game, Rose was one of the best players in a New York jersey on opening night. He and Porzingis flashed some nice pick-and-roll action while he and Noah continue to communicate through extrasensory perception.

He seems determined to prove something. The Knicks shouldn't expect him to be a star all season. But if Rose keeps up this level of motivation, they will see a more efficient shooter with more hustle on both ends of the floor. 

MIN	PTS	FG%	3FG%	REB	AST	STL
32.1	16.0	45.1	30.8	3.7	5.1	1.1

1. Carmelo Anthony

So, that Carmelo Anthony...he's a pretty good shooter, huh? 

Melo found his stroke early this preseason. Although he was only 1-of-4 from downtown Tuesday (8-of-18 from the field overall), he shot 52.6 percent from long-range through the exhibitions and 44.8 percent overall. He's drilling a lot of jumpers but is still successful in the post. Hopefully, he'll power into the paint more often. 

Even though I've said he's playing more isolation and disrupting the ball movement a bit (and he is), I'm not crying out that he's a selfish ball hog.

Believe it or not, he's never averaged below 2.6 assists per season his whole career, which is a perfectly reasonable number for a forward. Will he return to the exemplary sharing of last season when he averaged 4.2 per game? Doubtful, but he'll edge back up in that direction.

We saw many glorious things from Melo last year—he led the team in assists, rebounds and points. He also put forth some impressive defensive efforts early in the season. We won't see him do it all this year because he doesn't need to do it all, now that he's surrounded by a stronger team.

What Knicks fans must hope for is a hybrid Melo, who brings more of the skills he flashed last season to bear, without trying to do everything on his own. 

MIN	PTS	FG%	3FG%	REB	AST	BLK	STL
33.0	22.3	45.5	35.0	7.0	3.5	.3	.9