New York Knicks Rumors: Lineup Changes Not Coming?

New York Knicks Rumors: The Knicks may be out of the postseason, but that does not mean that lineup changes will be coming to get younger players on the court.

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New York Knicks rumors are slow at this time of the season, as there aren’t many, if any, roster moves being made. For a team already at the 15-player limit, there more than likely will not be any for the remainder of the season. Being eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend, the Knicks will just be playing out the remainder of the season, which brings us to our most recent rumor.

At this point of time, it would make sense for the Knicks to start playing some of their younger players. With the playoffs no longer an reality, the results of the games the Knicks play the remainder of the season have very little meaning. Without a first round draft pick, they have no incentive to lose games, but at the same time winning doesn’t do anything for them either.

With that in mind, it would make sense for the Knicks to start giving more minutes to younger players to evaluate if they will be a part of the future. We already know what the Knicks have in Kristaps Porzingis, who is a franchise cornerstone at this time. But, the outlook for a player such as Jerian Grant is not as clear.

Grant has seen his playing time yo-yo throughout the season, as he has spent as much time out of the rotation as he has in it during his rookie season. He has averaged 15.4 minutes per game, putting up 4.8 points, 2.2 assists and 1.7 rebounds.

While he has had rookie pains at time, like any young player, Grant has also flashed on both ends of the court at times. Fans will remember the performance he had against the Boston Celtics when Carmelo Anthony got hurt and he had a career night with 16 points and eight assists.

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It is something the fans would like to see more of, as letting Grant run the show for the remainder of the season has no real negatives; he would gain invaluable experience and the Knicks would get an extended look to see if Grant is capable of being a starting point guard, or a bench player.

While it would make sense for it to happen, it does not seem to be something that we will see anytime soon. Interim head coach Kurt Rambis essentially shot down the notion of Grant replacing veteran Jose Calderon in the starting lineup when talking to Newsday on Monday.

“The matchups are probably better suited for him coming off the bench,” Rambis told Newsday on Monday. “He’s learning things. His getting out there and seeing situations is good for him. But like all young players, he’s making mistakes, and we’re working on him to correct those mistakes.”

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Grant is one of the players the Knicks need to be evaluating the remainder of the season instead of wasting minutes on players such as Calderon or Sasha Vujacic, as they know what they have in both of those veterans. With the playoffs out of the picture, the remainder of the season for the Knicks should focus on evaluating their young players and letting them gain some valuable experience.

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