Knicks Players Who Will Determine NY's Ceiling During 2021-22 Season
The New York Knicks crack the shortlist of the NBA's most fascinating teams in 2021-22.
Skeptics are out to see whether last season's breakout was a fluke and if this club might come crashing down to earth. 'Bockers believers will want to know how good this group can be if the defense remains elite and if the offseason investments provide a much more prolific attack.
This could be a conference finalist or a play-in tournament participant, and neither outcome would be especially shocking.
With a range of outcomes that wide, every player on the roster can move the collective ceiling up or down. But the following three will likely have the greatest influence.
RJ Barrett
1 of 3
RJ Barrett rebounded from a rough rookie season to engineer a solid sophomore campaign.
However, this is where the fun could begin. The third NBA go-round is often a leap year for stars, and Barrett has all of the necessary tools to follow the blueprint.
It's about building on the strides he made last season. With a deep ball in his back pocket, his playmaking improving and his turnovers coming down, he's checking the most critical boxes for his development. But if he repeats the process and grows at an even faster rate, then New York could have a pair of stars (him and Julius Randle) to help it compete in the perpetually improving Eastern Conference.
The possibilities are right there in front of Barrett: a 20-plus-point scoring average, a field-goal percentage that floats closer to 50 than 45, a straitjacket he can throw on the opposition's best wing scorer. That's the backbone of a two-way star, and that's the kind of player he can be. But if that leap doesn't happen this year—he's still just 21—then the Knicks could have trouble holding on to their top-four seed.
Mitchell Robinson
2 of 3
There was a brief time when Mitchell Robinson either held centerpiece status on the rebuilding Knicks or was en route to earning it. But his future with the franchise—and even his present role—is no longer a lock.
On-again, off-again bouts with the injury bug can have that effect. So, too, can having your team not miss a beat without you, as the Knicks didn't last season when they turned to Nerlens Noel in place of the injured Robinson.
New York might have enough frontcourt depth to handle Robinson with kid gloves, but kid gloves aren't head coach Tom Thibodeau's thing. The Knicks could even shop the center on the trade market, but his value isn't as high as it could be, and there might not be a big enough upgrade available.
The best-case scenario for Robinson and the Knicks is that he stays healthy and reminds everyone he can be one of the most impactful defenders in the Association. His combination of length, bounce and mobility is just about perfect for a modern big man, as he can erase shots at the rim and stay in front of players on the perimeter. His offensive bag is limited, but he's an elite lob finisher.
It's possible this season comes and goes with Robinson as just another face in the interior rotation. It's also possible he watches much of it in street clothes. But there is a universe in which he's the best option at the 5, and that's the one where New York is living its best life.
Kemba Walker
3 of 3
New York's offensive formula last season lacked variety. It was all Julius Randle, all the time, and once the Atlanta Hawks threw the kitchen sink at stopping him in the first round, the Knicks lacked a competent counter punch. New York lost the series in five games and didn't crack triple digits in any of the final three contests.
That's part of the reason that Kemba Walker—and Evan Fournier, for that matter—is on the squad. But there could be something bigger with Walker, and that's not referencing the homecoming narrative with the Bronx native.
The Knicks potentially bought incredibly low on the scoring guard. In 2019, he got a four-year max from the Boston Celtics. Two years and one big buyout later, New York nabbed him on a two-year, $17.9 million deal.
That price tag reflects the nearly two-year battle he's had with a balky left knee. He's discounted for a reason, and maybe the Knicks are only getting damaged goods here. That's a relative term—he still averaged 19.3 points and 4.9 assists last season—meant mostly to reflect he just might not be the same anymore.
But what if he is? The Knicks don't need 25 points per night out of him, but what if he's sharp enough to share go-to scoring duties with Randle? Walker is only one season removed from a four-year string of All-Star selections, and when his knee cooperates, there isn't a defender who can keep in front of him.
If Walker consistently looks like a top-three player for the Knicks and semi-regularly seems like their best, this offense could be for a force and this club could be a two-way power.
