New York Knicks Are Winning Even When Not Playing Games

The New York Knicks had a successful Sunday despite not taking the court.

Not much has gone well for the New York Knicks in recent weeks and months. They have suffered through a ton of losses and inconsistent play. A few weeks ago that was disappointing to see, but right now, losing is more tolerable.

When the playoffs stopped being a reality the Knicks had to turn their focus to the offseason and preparations for the 2017-18 season. One of the things on the offseason docket is the 2017 NBA Draft.

This hasn’t been a time for Knicks fans to get excited for often, but this year they can be. The Knicks actually own their first round draft pick this year; the last time that happened they landed Kristaps Porzingis. Owning that pick makes the losing easier to handle. How high could the Knicks get in the draft?

For a team with playoff aspirations coming into the season, the lottery was not something on many people’s minds. The Knicks were 16-17 heading into 2017 and the playoffs were still a real possibility. Then the losses began mounting and the Knicks priorities changed.

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While it has to be tough on veterans such as Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee, and Kyle O’Quinn, losing is what is best for the Knicks franchise in the future. They desperately need to add a young building block alongside Porzingis; the easiest way to do that is via the draft.

The Knicks picked an excellent season to struggle. The 2017 NBA Draft is loaded, especially with backcourt talent. The backcourt, specifically point guard, is where the Knicks need the most help. Luckily for them, there are a ton of point guard prospects that have scouts salivating.

Markelle Futlz of Washington, Lonzo Ball of UCLA, and Dennis Smith of North Carolina State headline the point guard class. Not far behind are De’Aaron Fox of Kentucky and Frank Ntilikina of France.

All would be excellent additions to the Knicks, along with Fox’s backcourt mate at Kentucky, Malik Monk; Monk and Ntilikina are the two prospects the Knicks are reportedly targeting.

The Knicks are doing their part to move up in the draft. They have lost 10 of their last 12 games, losing twice in that time span to the lowly Brooklyn Nets. O’Quinn expressed frustration with the team following the second loss, but disappointment and underachieving have been par for the course for the Knicks recently.

To move up in the lottery, the Knicks do need some help. They are in a four-team race for the fourth-worst record in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, and Orlando Magic. The Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns probably have the bottom three spots locked up.

The Knicks are tied with the 76ers and Magic with 46 losses and received some help in moving down the standings from the Kings on Sunday.

The Kings looked on their way to another loss. They trailed the Los Angeles Clippers by 18 points with five minutes remaining. They put on a furious comeback and actually won the game. That puts them a full game ahead of the Knicks, 76ers, and Magic.

That victory helped the Knicks and they have an excellent chance of moving down the standings. They face the third toughest remaining schedule in the NBA to close out the season. Eight of their nine remaining games are against teams that are currently within one game of a playoff spot.

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It is a weird feeling to be okay with watching a team lose. You watch games hoping that your team wins the game and is successful. But, with the current state of the Knicks, losing games is what is successful for the Knicks. They need to operate with an eye towards the future and the best way to brighten that future is to add a stud player at the top of the 2017 NBA Draft. To assure that happens, the Knicks have to continue to lose games.

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