New York Knicks: Knicks youngsters are poised for a breakout year

The New York Knicks have a core of young players and it’s only a matter of time before these players finally amount to something in New York.

The New York Knicks currently have 19 players on the roster, and of those 19, 14 of them are 25 years old or younger. This being said, it is only a matter of time before we finally have some competitive basketball in New York.

The 2018-19 season has yet to start but it already looks as if the New York Knicks struck gold when they drafted Kevin Knox in the first round and Mitchell Robinson in the second of the 2018 NBA Draft.

Both picks were widely scrutinized at the time they were drafted for a wide variety of reasons, but both surprised many in the 2018 NBA Summer League.

More from Empire Writes Back

Knox was scrutinized simply because of the players still available such as Michael Porter Jr. and Mikal Bridges.

Robinson on the other hand, was scrutinized because no one knew anything about him seeing he did not go to college and opted to prepare for the draft.

Both appear to be players who can make a difference for the Knicks when they are given appropriate playing time.

It already looks as if both will be getting a decent amount of time this upcoming season with the injury to Kristaps Porzingis as well as the lack of depth at the small forward position.

This will allow us to see if Knox’s’ game will transfer and will give us a look into what the Knicks lineup brings to the table when they are fully healthy.

Another player to keep an eye on besides the obvious choice of Kevin Knox, is Frank Ntilikina. Ntilikina did not get much playing time in his rookie year but he is set to see the court a lot more in his second year.

In 21.9 minutes per game over the course of the 2017-18 season, Ntilikina averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Truly not bad considering he played 22 minutes a game off the bench.

However, it appears that Ntilikina is set to burst onto the scene and become the player the Knicks wanted when they drafted him.

This past summer, Ntilikina decided not to play for the French National Team as they attempted to qualify for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Ntilikina made this decision in an effort to focus on New York Knicks basketball and to prepare for the season.

This just goes to show you that Ntilikina is very dedicated to this Knicks team and wants to do whatever he can to better himself in an effort to help the team.

That was not the only news that came out about Ntilikina during the offseason though. Videos surfaced of Ntilikina’s workouts and pictures of his progress were surprising to say the least.

Ntilikina looks to be in the best shape of his life squandering all doubt about him not being able to handle the physicality of the NBA.

With the progress Ntilikina has made, you can expect his play to show just that.

Next. What could the Knicks give up to land Jimmy Butler?. dark

Over the course of the 2018-19 season you’re gonna want to keep an eye on both Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina, because what you see might just surprise you.

Home/New York Knicks