Final Regular-Season Grades for Every New York Knicks Player
The New York Knicks' season may be over, but even with the draft and free agency to come, it's important to look back and grade the roster on its performance in 2014-15.
With so many impending free agents, Phil Jackson will be making some tough decisions regarding who to bring back, with the past season serving as an audition for many of the younger players.
Having finished with the league's second-worst record, the Knicks were generally terrible as a unit, but there were some standout performances throughout the year—and not just from established names.
Taking into account expectations and production in relation to each other, let's reflect on 2014-15 and grade each player on New York's final roster.
Quincy Acy
1 of 15
Quincy Acy's averages of 5.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2014-15 are fairly underwhelming, but he managed to carve a niche for himself as a physical and energetic forward capable of occasionally displaying an underrated shooting touch.
On a more talented roster, it's easy to picture Acy playing the role of a bruiser off the bench, and it would be smart for the Knicks to bring him back in 2015-16 for that reason.
Acy was essentially thrown into the fire as a starter at forward for the first time in his career, and he actually looked his best coming off the bench toward the end of the year. In his last eight appearances, he put up 8.7 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the field, a taste of what he can do in a small, consistent role.
Grade: B-
Cole Aldrich
2 of 15
Though he didn't improve too much on his play in 2013-14, it was still nice to see Cole Aldrich average 12.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per 36 minutes, establishing himself as the team's best rebounder and making some noise on offense every now and then.
According to Basketball-Reference, Aldrich also had a team-leading defensive rating of 102, holding his own at center as a one-on-one defender while averaging a solid 2.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per 36 minutes.
Making only 16 starts and averaging just 16 minutes per game, he didn't really have as much burn as he deserved in a showcase season like this. His per 36-minute production shows he's one of the team's better young players, but whether the organization views him the same way remains to be seen.
Grade: B
Lou Amundson
3 of 15
Since joining the Knicks in January, Lou Amundson put up a career-high six points and six rebounds per game, earning a role as the team's starting power forward for his high-energy play.
The Knicks improved in the second half, and this was in large part due to the addition of players like Amundson, Langston Galloway and Alexey Shved, who brought some of the effort and intensity the team was missing.
Of course, effort alone couldn't make up for the lack of talent on the team, but Amundson and company still deserve credit for keeping games entertaining. On a deeper roster, having someone like Amundson on the bench to crash the boards and bring physical defense could be valuable.
Grade: B
Carmelo Anthony
4 of 15
Carmelo Anthony had a down year in 2014-15, but with lingering injuries and minimal supporting talent, it's hard to blame him.
Putting up 24.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, Melo was still far and away the Knicks' best player, making the Eastern Conference All-Star squad as he has done every year since arriving in New York. Of course, there was never really any threat of him missing out as the game's host and the star of a major market franchise.
On a team that had no real chance of competing, this was a wasted year for Anthony. Shutting it down after the All-Star Game was the right choice long-term, which is clearly where the organization's mind was all season.
If the Knicks can take some more serious steps in their rebuilding project this summer, we'll get a better perspective on whether or not Melo was worth the five-year, $124 million contract he signed in 2014. For now there's little to say about him that we don't already know.
Grade: A-
Andrea Bargnani
5 of 15
For the first half of 2014-15, having Andrea Bargnani out of action was nothing more than a reminder of the poor front-office decisions that got the Knicks into their sorry position. Once he returned to action, however, he ended up having one of the more impressive years of his career, potentially earning an extended stay in New York.
Over the course of 29 games, Bargnani averaged 19.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per 36 minutes, along with a career-high 2.1 assists working in the triangle. Knocking down the mid-range jumper efficiently and effectively spreading the floor, he looked a lot more like the player the Knicks hoped he would be when they gave up three draft picks for him back in 2013.
Bargnani's $17.3 million cap hold makes him cost-prohibitive to keep around without first renouncing his rights, but it wouldn't be too surprising to see him back on New York's roster on a more reasonable deal by the time the 2015-16 season rolls around.
Grade: B+
Jose Calderon
6 of 15
In a vacuum, it would be unfair to call Jose Calderon the worst player on the Knicks, but after the trade with the Dallas Mavericks that brought him to New York, it's safe to say he was the biggest disappointment.
The Knicks were obviously happy just to get rid of Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton's contracts, but the supposed upgrade at point guard was also a key selling point.
Calderon ultimately played in only 42 games after struggling with injury, putting up 9.2 points and 4.7 assists per game when he did see the court. Despite being known for his efficiency, he also shot a career-low 42 percent from the floor.
Over the next two years, the Knicks will owe him another $14.4 million, which really brings into question whether it's smart to keep him around. Making a trade or even waiving Calderon with the stretch provision would help to maximize short-term flexibility.
Grade: D-
Cleanthony Early
7 of 15
Cleanthony Early played the fewest minutes of anyone who began and ended the season on the Knicks roster, which makes it difficult to make any serious judgments based on his rookie year.
There were certainly flashes of offensive talent, but ultimately 4.5 points per game on 36 percent from the floor is an underwhelming output. It's also a concern that he managed to miss 43 games—in large part due to injury—so soon in his NBA career.
Early's shining moment actually came in the D-League, where he took a rare opportunity for consistent minutes to average 21 points and 10 rebounds per night over the course of three games in Westchester.
Grade: C
Langston Galloway
8 of 15
Coming out of nowhere to earn a starting role in the Knicks backcourt, Langston Galloway was more or less the team's best player once Carmelo Anthony bowed out.
While impressive for a rookie, Galloway's 13.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per 36 minutes don't quite show just how mature and clutch his play was at times. In three of the Knicks' more impressive victories of the season—against the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans—Galloway put up 26, 22 and 21 points, respectively, highlighting just how big a part of the team he became by the end of the year.
Also of note was Galloway's work on the defensive end. Opposing point guards have been an issue for New York for years now, but despite all the losing, he actually helped to make that less of a glaring hole.
Grade: B+
Tim Hardaway Jr.
9 of 15
It was disappointing to see Tim Hardaway Jr. fail to capitalize on a season like this, which was an opportunity for him to showcase his talents as one of New York's focal points on offense.
Hardaway was still one of the Knicks' better players, but his continued lack of efficiency and poor shot selection have hurt his stock as a prospect. It wasn't so much that he regressed, but his lack of improvement does highlight that he may not be much more than a shooter long-term.
We must bear in mind that this is only the second year of his career, however, and he did elevate his play in the final stretch of the season. Over his last six games, he averaged an impressive 15.3 points per game on 42 percent shooting, looking more like the player New York wanted to see all along.
Grade: C+
Shane Larkin
10 of 15
Shane Larkin led the Knicks in minutes in 2014-15, and over the course of the season that definitely showed in his growing confidence offensively.
Larkin averaged 6.2 points and 3.0 assists per game on the season, but he raised those averages to 8.3 points and 4.7 assists in his last 15 games, displaying more confidence in his jumper and ability to get to the rim.
Still, as a complete package, Larkin's season was underwhelming. The Knicks were probably hoping he could emerge as a prospect, but as an undersized point guard with no major strengths, it's difficult to place him in that category. With the team already having declined his third-year option in October, it's difficult to picture him returning in 2015-16.
Grade: C-
Ricky Ledo
11 of 15
Signed toward the end of the year, Ricky Ledo only appeared in 12 games, but he was impressive enough to earn a B for his work at shooting guard while Alexey Shved was out.
Of particular note was a three-game stretch in early April when he averaged 17 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, displaying surprisingly well-rounded talent for a player who was waived just weeks earlier.
Despite only initially being signed to a 10-day contract, Ledo is another player who may just have done enough to earn another year in New York. Even with a high draft pick, the Knicks are still short of young talent and should make the most of those who stood out in 2014-15.
Grade: B
Alexey Shved
12 of 15
With his NBA career in jeopardy after failing to capitalize on an impressive rookie year, Alexey Shved made a statement with his 16 games as a Knick.
He averaged a career-high 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, along with a career-high 0.9 steals, which should at least keep him in the league for another year. For a short while, he looked to have some nice chemistry with Langston Galloway, with the partnership on full display in the Knicks' victory over the Spurs.
With a qualifying offer of $4.1 million, Shved is giving the Knicks something to think about in free agency. They will probably still renounce his rights in an attempt to work out a deal closer to the minimum, but he could be a cost-effective sixth man, with New York expected to use much of its cap space to revamp the starting lineup.
Grade: B+
Jason Smith
13 of 15
Despite being one of the more established names on the team, Jason Smith was one of the Knicks' most inconsistent players, with a season defined by stretches of great play and borderline non-existent play.
Smith's biggest weapon is the mid-range jumper, and when he had that going for him he was one of New York's better players. This was particularly evident in early 2015, when he averaged 9.8 points on 47 percent shooting over the course of 18 starts.
When the jumper wasn't falling—in large part due to poor shot selection—Smith's weaknesses defensively and on the boards became a lot more evident. For a bulky 7-footer, he didn't do nearly enough of the tough work for the Knicks, ultimately being shown up in that area by Lou Amundson.
Grade: C+
Lance Thomas
14 of 15
Another late-season signing, Lance Thomas put up a solid 8.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a Knick. Though not particularly strong in any area, his consistency earned him 26 starts since joining the team in January.
Thomas' best basketball came toward the end of the year, when he managed to breach the 14-point mark six times in the last month of the season, including a 24-point outing against the Toronto Raptors.
It's unclear if Thomas will remain in New York in 2015-16, but the Knicks do need depth behind Carmelo Anthony and could do a lot worse than bringing Thomas back for the minimum at some point in the summer.
Grade: B
Travis Wear
15 of 15
After an impressive preseason, Travis Wear had a fairly uneventful regular season, making just one start in 51 games.
Wear is in the same boat as Cleanthony Early as another rookie who didn't get enough consistent playing time to make any lasting impression.
For what it's worth, Wear was one of the team's better defenders when he did see playing time, looking particularly impressive in an early-season matchup against LeBron James in which the Knicks managed to top the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Grade: C
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