Leon Rose did the unthinkable this summer and orchestrated a blockbuster trade to reunite the final piece in the Villanova connection aka Mikal Bridges. This has sent the New York faithful into a frenzy putting them in prime position to compete against the likes of the East Conference elite. Their versatile blend of inside and outside shooting as well as perimeter and interior defense will make them a force to be reckon with around the league. Despite the acquisition of Bridges, the Knicks still have a few issues to address going into the season, before they can be certain they are ready to solidify their spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.

CENTER DEPTH

In December when Mitchell Robinson went down with a nearly a season-ending ankle injury. Reserve Isaiah Hartenstein stepped in providing elite level interior defense, top notch rebounding, and underrated playmaking ability. Hartenstein allowed only 52.5% shooting around the rim, good for ninth in the league. Although his offensive numbers aren’t eye popping, he proved to be an efficient finisher in the paint. Converting on around 70% at the rim and 50% from floater range. In the off-season Hartenstein was afforded the opportunity to chase the bag as well as maintain a chance to contending for a championship in OKC. Hartenstein signed with the Thunder for 3 years totaling $87 million.

Precious Achiuwa will be tasked with the job of filling the void left by Hartenstein. Achiuwa was acquired in the Anenoby deal, and played a sizable role in the Knicks run last year which was cut short due to a multitude of injuries. Achiuwa is an electric player and dynamic finisher. His most standout attribute is his defensive versality. Achiuwa’s 111 defensive rating suggest that defensively he is comparable to Hartenstein, but at borderline 6’9 he is slightly undersized at the Center position. Beyond Achiuwa, Jericho Sims is their other option at the Center position. Sims is going into his fourth season in New York. Athletically Sims is top tier but over his time as a Knick he hasn’t shown much improvement in his skillset. With Mitchell Robinson’s injury history there’s a very safe bet that he will have to step in at some point. The Knicks are hoping to address these interior concerns from within but may look via trade to sure up any shortcomings they have. The New York has been rumored to be interested in the likes of Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons as well as Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz.

NBA’s Top 5 Plays of the Night | May 8, 2024 https://t.co/zlTZ35BCkH via @YouTube
JoshHard &OG Anunoby-Hart&Isaiah Hartenstain
Donte de Vicenzo&Precius Achiuwa&-Hartenstain&Divizenzo-Tyrese Haliburton&Myles Turner pic.twitter.com/NsgYqo3b7K

— miguel bonilla (@miguelb42621839) May 10, 2024

PLAYMAKING OFF THE BENCH

Jalen Brunson has solidified himself as a top 5 Point Guard in the league but one could not help but see the drop off in production when he needs a breather. The emergence of Deuce McBride’s scoring prowess has been a nice surprise at the guard position. Also, with Divencenzo being pushed to the second unit with the acquisition of bridges. The Knicks should have no issues filling it up off the bench. The question will be who will run the show to create for those scorers. The Knicks utilized an early 2nd Round Pick on Tyler Kolek. A sure-handed floor general out of Marquette who led the NCAA in assists with 7.7 per game. Kolek had a strong summer league where he averaged 7 assist in 5 games with only 1.5 turnovers per game. Given that Kolek is an older polished draft pick he may be equipped with the experience to steady the ship but in the event he can’t right away, the Knicks signed veteran Cameron Payne to shoulder the load in the interim.

Can Tyler Kolek crack New York’s rotation as a rookie?

“If Kolek cracks the rotation, it’s because he ripped a spot away from someone else, not because the Knicks gave him one”

–@FredKatz

https://t.co/H30iCoMUaD pic.twitter.com/OBPnGqWWMh

— Let’s Talk Knicks (LTK) (@LetsTalkKnicks_) August 21, 2024