5 Keys for the Knicks to Get on Track to the Playoffs This Season

Last season, Derek Fisher's first as head coach of the New York Knicks, the team finished 17-65, one game worse than the dreadful 76ers. They were 43 games behind the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks and 21 games behind the nearby Brooklyn Nets for the last seed in the playoffs. 

It was a season from hell.

Before it started, Steve Kerr spurned the Knicks and former coach-turned-Knicks president Phil Jackson by not taking the head coaching position and instead assumed the same position for the immensely talented, NBA-champion Golden State Warriors. Phil was accused all season of "not caring or paying attention." Derek Fisher was a bad coach. The team was injured, stripped of top-end talent and beaten repeatedly.

At one point last season, the Knicks were 6-36. That means they won just 14 percent of their games. Yuck.

But hopes remain high in the Big Apple. The team is 2-2. They've already beaten two Eastern Conference playoff teams from last season. If a few things break right, they could get back to the postseason as early as this season. Here are five reasons the Knicks will make the playoffs in 2016.

1. Health

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Health is essential to success in the NBA. Take last season for example. The Warriors won 67 games and the title because they were talented, balanced, and healthy. The Thunder, who pretty much win 60 games every year, sputtered and missed the playoffs because Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka all missed significant time. 

The Knicks' best player, Carmelo Anthony, played in just 40 games last year. In fact, only six players played in more than 45 games. Jose Calderon, who was 33 last season, led the team with 42 starts. Shane Larkin, who shot 43 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc per basketball-reference.com, led the Knicks in minutes played. 

For this team to succeed, Melo has to be healthy. He gets a lot of bad publicity for being an isolation player, but he's still one of the most dominant scorers in the league. In a career spanning just north of 12 years, Anthony has never averaged fewer than 20 points per game. 

Health also breeds continuity. 20 different guys suited up for New York last season. That's way too many. We all know that it takes time to learn a new offense, but it also takes time to learn how to play with new guys. The NBA schedule is rigorous, with so few days off to practice, it's hard to pick up on teammates on-court likes, dislikes and tendencies. A healthy Knicks team that relies on the same eight or nine guys every night should play well together.

2. Strong Rookie Play

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The Knicks took Kristaps Porzingis fourth overall and later traded for 19th-overall pick Jerian Grant. Those two have to contribute immediately.

Porzingis has struggled from the floor. He's shooting under 36 percent so far. But he averages a block per contest and leads the team with 1.8 steals per game. He's also a deft 83 percent free-throw shooter. 

Jerian Grant looks really good as the point guard for the second unit. He's shooting 54 percent and dishing out nearly four assists per game. Grant provides a change of pace from the plodding Jose Calderon. 

Both of the rooks have to continue to play well and improve throughout the season for the Knicks to challenge for the eighth seed.

Porzingis will have to start knocking down his mid-range and three-point jumpers to be truly effective in the league. If he can provide space and make defenders respect him enough for Melo to drive and finish at the rim without help, he'll be a massive asset moving forward.

3. A Deep Roster

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Last season, the Knicks roster was devoid of talent. This year, they've added a lot of talent to fill out both the starting and second units.

New York picked up Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams and Kyle O'Quinn this offseason. None of those guys will ever represent the country in the Olympics, but they are legit NBA players. 

Lopez was blessed to play with some great players in his time in Portland, but he was no slouch. The pick-and-roll center posted an above-average offensive rating in six of his seven years in the league, according to Basketball-Reference. He's a great offensive rebounder and never needs a play called for him. 

Afflalo is not great at any one thing, but he's an above-average defender who can knock down open shots. 

Derrick Williams is an athlete. He's not polished and can't be trusted to go get a bucket during crunch time, but he'll grab tough rebounds and get to the free-throw line.

Kyle O'Quinn is another nice complementary player. He's strong on the block and sees the floor. 

Those four, combined with Langston Galloway, Lance Thomas and the two aforementioned rookies, give the Knicks advantages in a lot of areas where they were disadvantaged last season.

Most good NBA teams have deep rosters so they don't have to rely on their starters for huge minutes. Carmelo Anthony is great, but he's even better when he knows he doesn't have to play 40 minutes every game. 

4. Change of Pace

According to Basketball-Reference, last year the Knicks averaged 91.2 possessions per 48 minutes, the third-slowest pace in the league. They finished 29th in offensive rating. This year, that pace has jumped to 98.7 possessions per 48 minutes, which is 16th-fastest in the league. They have the sixth-best offensive rating through four games. 

Do you see a trend here? 

The Knicks want to implement the triangle offense; we get that. But even Phil Jackson knows that a fast-break layup is a higher-percentage shot than a brilliantly executed spread offense which leads to a short mid-range jumper. You can still try to get out on the break, then pull the ball out and reset if the opportunity isn't there. 

Now, the Knicks didn't really have the horses to push in transition last season, but this year, guys like Grant, Afflalo and Derrick Williams will really help with that. Hopefully this will become a trend and not just a four-game anomaly. 

5. Be Buyers at the Trade Deadline

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Every season, players become available for trades before the deadline. Heck, last year nearly half the league turned over! If the Knicks are keeping pace with the top six or seven teams in the East, they might make a short-term move to bolster their backcourt. 

This is just speculation, but Kevin Martin might be available if he's frustrated coming off the bench in Minnesota. I wouldn't be shocked if Monta Ellis didn't last playing for structure-oriented, defense-first coach Frank Vogel in Indiana.

It's way too early to tell, but the Ty Lawson experiment could go wrong in Houston. We know GM Daryl Morey isn't afraid to make bold in-season maneuvers. Even Jordan Clarkson might be pushed to the back burner by Lakers brass.

Any one of those guys would immediately impact this Knicks team. It might not be the right long-term solution, but this is about this postseason.

The Knicks should need between 39-41 wins to make the playoffs. With health, contributions from rookies, depth, an openness to the fast break and one more piece, they could easily surpass that.