Early-Season Report Cards for New York Knicks' Key Prospects
Over the past three seasons, the New York Knicks have transformed from a crusty bunch of old guys to a feckless gang of amateurs to finally, a proper mix of veterans and young bloods. Five men 24 and younger grace the roster, and at least three of them seem to have a bright future.
A few other intriguing prospects are up the street pounding the hardwood for New York's NBA Development League affiliate, the 11-4 Westchester Knicks. Small forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo, 23, came so close yet so far to making the New York squad because of his zealous defense and ability to score in transition. His three-pointer is nothing to write home about, but his overall offensive efficiency has improved to a 53 percent field-goal percentage.
Center Jordan Bachynski, 26, is one of the D-League's leaders in blocks and field-goal percentage. The 7-footer could appeal to New York if it wants another traditional defensive center to back up Robin Lopez instead of using a smaller lineup with Kristaps Porzingis or Kyle O'Quinn at the 5 spot.
The Knicks could also give 26-year-old guard and marksman Jimmer Fredette (back in Westchester after a few games with the New Orleans Pelicans) another spin in the NBA. He's one of the D-League's scoring leaders, averaging 23 points and 4.1 assists.
Before the front office starts making calls to the 914, though, let's take a look at the five young men on the Knicks' prime-time squad. Thirty games into the season, how are they doing?
Cleanthony Early: Incomplete
1 of 5It isn't worth discussing small forward Cleanthony Early's stats, because he hasn't played enough for the numbers to be meaningful. To date this season, he's spent a grand total of 27 minutes on the court.
Because the Knicks roster is 14 strong but league rules mandate that only 13 players can be listed as active during a game, Early has spent far more time in a suit than in uniform.
Therefore, we can more easily assess his suit game. He doesn't bother with neckties and plays it safe with colors, mostly sticking with blacks and grays. With his career uncertain, he's smartly not wasting his salary on splashy Westbrookian fashion.
He gets a B-minus for style and an A-plus for financial management.
During his brief stints on the hardwood, though, Early has shown that his court vision and decision-making are improved over last season. The deer-in-the-headlights look has mostly gone away.
Plus, we cannot entirely discount some of his exciting preseason performances. In particular, Early scored 17 points off 58.3 percent shooting during the 97-93 loss to the Charlotte Hornets Oct. 17 (and added a block and four rebounds to his stat sheet too).
His athleticism is an asset on the open floor, and he's displayed good chemistry with some of his young teammates. Yet his defense and three-point shooting still run hot-and-cold. Plus, he has the unenviable position of being the third-string reserve at a position where the starter is an All-Star who hogs over 34 minutes per game.
Grade: Incomplete (may need to do extra credit in D-League)
Derrick Williams: C+
2 of 5In some ways, Knicks forward Derrick Williams is precisely what the team needs, but in another key way he's exactly what it doesn't.
Though only 24, this is Williams' fifth year in the league. The first four were fraught with high expectations he repeatedly failed to meet. The Knicks gave him another chance when many other teams wouldn't, and in most ways he's shown they were right to make the offer.
At his best, Williams is dynamic, athletic and thrilling to watch. He has hops that allow him to reach alley-oop passes that are halfway to the moon. He and other bench players—particularly the guards, Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant—seem to communicate via ESP at times.
He leads the team in fast-break points (1.5 per game)—something the Knicks desperately need. More of Williams blazing down the court could be just what the team needs to push the pace more, as Knicks head coach Derek Fisher and Carmelo Anthony are looking to do.
Because he can be a liability on defense, Williams' offensive prowess isn't enough to keep him on the court for longer stretches. Sometimes, he's in such good position to get those fast-break points because he's nearer the perimeter, out of position on defense and unimpeded by any opposing players who might be nearby. Opponents shoot 6.4 percent better than their average when they face up against Williams.
Although he's tightened up a bit over the past few games, Williams' defensive struggles aren't simply a problem of effort; he really doesn't seem to know how to defend.
Grade: C+
Jerian Grant: B
3 of 5At age 23, Jerian Grant has more maturity and poise than most rookies. He's also exceptional at slicing through defenders, down the lane and drawing contact, with only a passing concern for any bodily harm he might incur along the way.
Like most of the Knicks' bench, Grant had a rough scoring patch from mid-November to early December as other teams' scouting reports caught up with him. His driving layups were just grazing the rim or not making contact at all.
He was forced to fall back on his jumper, which is not his strong suit at all, especially from behind the arc, where he logs a meager 17.2 percent. The shooting slump affected his confidence, and it began to hurt the rest of his game—alley-oop passes went off target, and he overlooked open men.
Fortunately, it looks like Grant has righted the ship on offense (far better than the game log would lead you to believe). He's seeing the court and feeding the ball to the right man with slick passes.
In Monday night's 107-99 loss to the Orlando Magic, Grant added several new clips to his highlight reel. Foremost among them: picking Mario Hezonja's pocket and blazing down the court for a nasty one-handed slam.
His defense, however, which was great at the beginning of the season, is starting to flag. On average, opponents shoot 4.4 percent worse when Grant defends, yet over his last five games, opponents are shooting 5.5 percent better than their average.
Nevertheless, Grant has demonstrated the ability to be a keen defender, and he has spades what starting point guard Jose Calderon has very little of: speed. Grant is able to keep up with the likes of John Wall when other guards would be lagging behind.
Grade: B
Langston Galloway: B+
4 of 5When combo guard Langston Galloway, 24, was called up from the D-League less than one year ago, who could have predicted the rookie would become the Knicks' heart and soul and essential to the team's success?
The truth is, when Galloway has a bad night, the Knicks have a bad night. When Galloway shoots 40 percent or better, the team is 10-5. When he's under, it is 4-11. During the stretch between Nov. 23 and Dec. 12 when Galloway's shooting percentage dropped to 22.7, New York went 3-8.
It's one of those intangible, magical things. The points weren't the problem. The Knicks didn't rely on LG for major output. (He averaged 10.2 before the slump, 4.7 during.)
No, it wasn't the buckets per se...it was when he hit the buckets. It was how he hit them. When New York was in desperate need of a big shot to rev up the crowd, stop the opponent's momentum or rattle a coach into a hasty timeout, Galloway was Johnny-on-the-spot with a buzzer-beater or an and-1 triple.
When the clutch plays disappear, so do the wins.
Yet throughout the ups and downs of the season, the rest of Galloway's game has remained solid. His defense is unrelenting, especially at the perimeter. He protects the ball well—a good trait in a point guard. He hustles for rebounds, pushes the pace, creates fast-break opportunities and connects with teammates for a posterizing alley-oop from time to time.
In fact, more time on the court with Kristaps Porzingis, who moves well for a 7'3" creature, could prove quite fruitful and improve the transition game.
I won't give Gallo a bad grade because of his teammates' failure to step up and make clutch plays without him. His shooting slump docked some points, but his importance to the squad's success and his all-around game keep him on the honor roll.
Grade: B+
Kristaps Porzingis
5 of 5He is pretty good, I guess.
| PTS | FG% | 3FG% |
| 13.0 | 42.4 | 30.5 |
| AST | REB | BLK |
| 1.1 | 8.1 | 2.1 |
| on-court +/- (per 48 min): +3.3 | ||
| off-court +/- (per 48 min): -6.3 | ||
| defended opponents' FG% +/-: -4.0 | ||
Kristaps Porzingis took the league by storm, charging up the rookie leaderboard and even making a case for an All-Star vote or two.
He has a soft touch on the ball from any spot on the court—bank shots in the paint, jumpers from mid-range and swishes from so far downtown, he's just about backing into the Statue of Liberty.
His monstrous putback dunks injured some opponents' egos and earned him the nickname Godzingis. (I'm not a fan of that name, but the only replacements I've come up with are K-Pop, The Latvian Stallion, PorzeePorzeePuddinPie and ZingaLingaDingDong, all of which are too horrible to contemplate.)
On top of the dunks, he moves with a grace and dexterity that is inexplicable for a guy his size, giving him the ability to cut, drive and score off the dribble. He can drop in pretty little floaters and score in transition.
Then there's his defense. Porzingis is a beast on the boards. His agile feet, long arms and great court vision make him a constant problem for anyone trying to shoot over or around him. He has not one but two games with seven blocks.
Plus, his on-court differential (+3.3) is the best on the team, and the off-court (-6.3) is the worst. In other words, the numbers say that Porzingis' presence on the floor has a greater positive impact than anybody else's.
All that said, he isn't a super-hero. Before his 23-point splash-out Wednesday night versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, Porzingis had a seven-game stretch when his performances were more human, averaging 7.9 points, 1.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 29 percent from the field and only 14.3 percent from behind the arc. It was a struggle.
Fans began calling for him late in the game Monday night, chanting his name as he sat on the bench while the Knicks were down and trying to close the lead on the Orlando Magic. Yet, those fans were misguided. It's possible Porzingis would have had more luck guarding the Magic's hot Nikola Vucevic than Robin Lopez, but he'd only shot 3-of-12 up to that point.
So, the offense has not exactly been Rookie of the Year quality the past two weeks, but KP will turn it around. When he's not producing points, he contributes in other ways. He's never a liability.
He's hit a rookie wall at the moment, but he'll climb up it again before long.
Grade: A
All stats are from NBA.com/stats and up-to-date as of Dec. 23. Follow Sara Peters on Twitter or Instagram.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
