Knicks Players Who Have to Elevate Their Game in 2024

The New York Knicks are on course to wrap the 2023 calendar year in the position most expected them to be.

Getting where they want to be in 2024 would take a little more, though.

So far, they've again established themselves as a good NBA team—but not a great one. They're close enough to see the group of full-fledged title contenders, but they haven't had enough to gain entry to that club for themselves.

If it's possible to make that upgrade in-house, they need the following three players to perk up their play.

RJ Barrett

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LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 18: RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks shoots a free throw during the game on December 18, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

At the start of the season, it felt like RJ Barrett might finally be making his leap toward stardom.

Then, he missed three games due to migraines and hasn't been the same since returning.

Everything clicked during that hot start, which admittedly spanned just seven games. Still, that stretch was wildly encouraging, as he averaged 22.6 points on 48.7/50/84.8 shooting with 3.1 assists against 2.1 turnovers. Over the next 14 games, though, all of those numbers tailed off. He managed just 16.8 points on 39.1/25.4/85.7 shooting with 2.2 assists against 1.4 turnovers.

During that hot early run, he was a legitimate difference-maker. Only once in that seven-game stretch did he post a negative plus/minus. Since cooling off, though, he's managed only three positive marks over his last 14 outings.

Quentin Grimes

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PHOENIX, AZ - DECEMBER 15: Quentin Grimes #6 of the New York Knicks handles the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns on December 15, 2023 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Knicks have one of the league's deepest collections of perimeter players. That's not necessarily a good thing.

There haven't been enough minutes and shots to go around for everyone, and Quentin Grimes has felt that squeeze as much as anyone.

His floor time is way down from last season (from 29.9 minutes to 21.8) and so is his field-goal percentage (46.8 to 38.5). He says that's no coincidence. He might be right, at least in the sense that it's hard to find a rhythm when you don't have consistency in your role or opportunities.

Unless New York brokers a big consolidation deal, though, this congestion will remain. So, the onus is on Grimes to adapt, and so far he hasn't. He already lost his starting role, and if he continues to struggle with inefficiency, he may find minutes even harder to come by.

Josh Hart

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks in action against the Toronto Raptors during their game at Madison Square Garden on December 11, 2023 in New York City. User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

From the second Josh Hart arrived at last season's trade deadline, he seemingly could do no wrong. That hasn't quite been the case during his second go-round in Gotham.

The 6'4" swingman is still putting fingerprints all over the stat sheet, but his contributions aren't as pronounced, nor as efficient.

Now, his impact doesn't always show up in the box scores, so keep that in mind, but they did appear there more frequently last season. In his 25 games after the deadline deal, he averaged 10.2 points on 58.6/51.9/78.9 shooting with 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals. So far this season, he's down to 7.7 points on 46.2/34.7/73.7 shooting with 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.9 steals.

It's possible we're simply seeing regression, as his shooting rates were never going to sustain, and most of his current marks are closer to his career averages. It's also possible he's still adapting to a changing role (he's playing way more power forward than ever). He also may have needed time to get his legs under him after suiting up for Team USA this offseason.

Regardless what's happened, though, his production is down and so is his impact.