New York Knicks Are Turning A Corner

The New York Knicks were a joke at this point of time a year ago. Now, they are turning the corner and are on the cusp of putting things together.

At this point of time last season, the New York Knicks were the laughing stock of the NBA. They were in the midst of what would turn out to be the worst season in franchise history, finishing with 17 wins. They waived the white flag, trading away rotation players Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith in a three-team deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, getting back what seemed to be spare parts.

On top of that, they won three meaningless games out of the final six, leading to them to not have the best odds in the NBA Lottery. That would hurt them, as the Knicks ended up with the fourth overall pick, missing out on the consensus top three, can’t miss players; Karl Anthony-Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor.

The Knicks landed Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick, which was met with much disdain. Porzingis was booed heavily as he went up on stage to shake hands with commissioner Adam Silver, with one young Knicks fan famously crying after Porzingis’ name was called.

It was a pick met with plenty of criticism, as Stephen A. Smith voiced his displeasure multiple times on ESPN. Things didn’t get much better for the Knicks throughout the summer, as they saw top free agent targets sign elsewhere. Greg Monroe spurned them for the Milwaukee Bucks, LaMarcus Aldridge canceled his meeting with the team once the Knicks told him they planned to use him at center, just to name a few.

Instead the Knicks turned to lower tiered players such as Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams and Kyle O’Quinn. Once again they were met with criticism, as people thought the Knicks were striking out once again as the draw of New York City is not as great as it once was with players getting media attention through social media no matter where they play.

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Many people thought the Knicks would be in for another long season and that president Phil Jackson was in over his head. Well, those people can begin eating their crow now, as the Knicks are finally looking like a legitimate franchise once again because Jackson has stuck to his guns and stayed on track with the plan he put into place last season.

Porzingis has played better than anyone could have expected, as he is further along in his development than anyone thought. He has swept the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award thus far, winning in October/November and December. He has a legitimate chance of being named Rookie of the Year at the end of the season, and has a strong social media push to get him into the All-Star game.

He is just scratching the surface for his potential, and looks like a true steal and building block for the Knicks. Despite his perceived lack of strength inside, Porzingis has provided many highlights thus far this season as his length alone has made for impressive dunks and blocked shots.

Porzingis has fit in beautifully with the Knicks thus far as the starting power forward, meshing well with the role players that the Knicks brought on in free agency. With Porzingis in the front court with Lopez, the Knicks have an intimidating front court with two players seven-feet tall or bigger. They also have solid blend of offense and defense, as the starting five of Jose Calderon, Afflalo, Anthony, Porzingis and Lopez have come together nicely since Afflalo recovered from the hamstring injury that slowed him down during the summer and training camp.

In addition to the improvement with the starting lineup, the three-team trade for the Knicks that many people labeled just a cap dump has proven fruitful as well. Lance Thomas has turned into a legitimate rotation player, coming off the bench and defending four positions depending on what the Knicks need.

He also improved his jump shot, as he is a threat offensively now as well. After making only seven three-pointers in his career prior to this season, Thomas already has 29 this season. He is making them at a 40.3 percent clip as he worked tirelessly to improve his offensive game to get a consistent role with the team, and that is exactly what he has done.

Another player off the bench that has improved his game is Langston Galloway. Galloway gained a ton of experience last season and it has been invaluable for this season. Galloway is comfortable with all the schemes the Knicks are using, as he has played arguably the most with Derek Fisher as anyone on the current roster. It has culminated in an improved jump shot, as he is making 40.4 percent of his three-pointers and brings a steadying presence off the bench as a combo guard that can run the offense or play off the ball.

The improvement in talent has definitely helped the Knicks, but this is a different team with a different attitude. Very rarely does this team look defeated, as they will fight to the very end no matter the score. They have suffered some ugly losses, but you cannot question the level of effort this team brings each and every night.

This is a group putting together something solid in New York, as the Knicks are on the cusp of being a good team. They are already improving in late game situations, as the victory over the Atlanta Hawks last night was as impressive of a game the Knicks have played this season. That gives them a season split with the Hawks, who played in the Eastern Conference finals last season.