New York Knicks: What does the future hold?
Through 13 games this season, the New York Knicks are the sixth-best team in the Eastern Conference. So let’s take a look at the rest of the season and beyond.
When the New York Knicks traded away Carmelo Anthony in the offseason, no one was quite sure how the season would unfold. To be completely honest we’re still not sure, but through 13 games, I for one did not expect them to be above .500.
The Knicks have been using a starting lineup of Jarrett Jack, Courtney Lee, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kristaps Porzingis, and Enes Kanter, with Doug McDermott and Frank Ntilikina getting significant minutes off the bench. Led by Porzingis, Kanter, and Hardaway, the Knicks appear to be one of those teams that could contend for the sixth, seventh, or eighth seed come April.
While the Knicks may be the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference right now, it will probably not stick for the rest of the season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently sitting outside the top eight and if you know anything about the NBA, you know that will not stick. With that, the Knicks would drop down a spot.
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Another team who is on the outside looking in is the Miami Heat, a team that should be able to nab a playoff spot as high as the fifth seed. With that, the Knicks would drop another spot.
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently eighth and they will most certainly move up by the end of the season so now the Knicks are sitting at the eighth seed and competing with the Philadelphia 76ers for a playoff spot.
As you can see, this season will hold a lot of questions for the Knicks. Can they succeed in the post-Carmelo Anthony era? Can Kristaps Porzingis be the player the Knicks should build their team around? These and many other questions surround the Knicks for the remainder of this season but there is one question that really stands out from the rest: What does the future hold for the New York Knicks?
Looking Beyond the 2017-18 Season:
The New York Knicks are clearly not yet where they want to be. They have two, maybe three players who will stick around and hopefully be essential in making a future playoff run. Those players being Kristaps Porzingis, Enes Kanter, and possibly Tim Hardaway Jr. or maybe even Courtney Lee. Regardless, the Knicks are not where they want to be but they have a decent foundation.
Headed by Duke’s Marvin Bagley III and Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr., the 2018 NBA Draft class has the potential to be one of the best ever. If there was ever a season where the Knicks did not want to make the playoffs, this would be it because there is a possibility they could get the player of their dreams to help Kristaps Porzingis guide them through the playoffs.
As a Knicks fan, you may want to hope New York doesn’t make the playoffs this season. The college basketball season has just started but you can already see that Marvin Bagley III is NBA-ready and so many other players are as well. Depending on how they end the season, it is possible for the Knicks to grab Michigan State standout forward Miles Bridges or a guard in Duke freshman Trevon Duval.
Next: New York Knicks show a lot of promise despite loss to Cavs
Whoever the New York Knicks decide to take in the 2018 NBA Draft, there is a good chance that player will greatly help the franchise alongside Kristaps Porzingis.