Previewing the 2022-23 New York Knicks

September 19^th, 2022

The New York Knicks signed star point guard Jalen Brunson in the offseason, and they hope that he and head coach Tom Thibodeau can lead their team to the playoffs in 2023.
(Photo: Sports Illustrated, via Nuts and Bolts Sports)

The New York Knicks had surprisingly made it to the 2021 playoffs, as head coach Tom Thibodeau was named Coach of the Year, and All-Star forward Julius Randle was named the Most Improved Player that year. They lost in five games to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, but it was thought that bigger and better things were supposedly to come for 2022.

Last year though, despite adding Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker in the offseason and getting off to a strong start, the Knicks ended up losing a slew of games, and they missed the playoffs in 2022. They then traded Kemba away along with Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel to free up cap space, which enabled them to sign star point guard Jalen Brunson away from Dallas, and they also signed Isaiah Hartenstein to be their backup center. There, they will have Brunson team up with Randle and R.J. Barrett, a scoring wing that also can play the point if necessary. Whether this will be enough for the Knicks to make it back to the playoffs may not be certain, but it’s given Knicks’ fans a little more optimism heading into the season.

Star Players:

G Jalen Brunson and F Julius Randle

Jalen Brunson is an agile, skilled playmaking point guard that does a very good job of shooting, scoring, and passing the basketball, and he was able to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a pair of wins in the first round over Utah in absence of Luka Doncic, which enabled them to defeat Utah in their first round series once Doncic got healthy. Much has been made about Brunson’s perhaps exorbitant contract, but he will give their backcourt and team a boost this season.

Julius Randle had a tremendous 2021 season, only to follow it up with a relatively disappointing year. Still, he’s a strong, athletic big man that does a very good job of attacking the hoop to score the basketball, and he is also a good facilitator and rebounder that consistently will put up numbers to help his team on the floor. He will need to improve his outside shot and defense, but he is an All-Star caliber player when he’s playing at top form.

Additions:

G Jalen Brunson and C Isaiah Hartenstein

The Knicks were able to land a major free agent signing in getting Jalen Brunson to join them in the offseason. Hartenstein had his best season last year, and he is an effective, per-minute, backup big man that will play solid minutes for the Knicks off the bench.

Subtractions:

G-F Alec Burks, C Nerlens Noel, G Kemba Walker, and G Ryan Arcidiacono

The Knicks lost a couple of key rotation players in Burks and Noel, and they also traded away arguably their most disappointing acquisition by packaging Kemba away in a trade with them to Detroit. Burks is a solid, versatile combo guard that can shoot, pass the ball, and run the point, and he proved to be a reliable role player last year. Noel struggled with injuries last year, but has proven to be a solid, shot-blocking, rim protecting center when healthy.

Kemba Walker was in Thibodeau’s doghouse after about a month’s worth of hot shooting, and intermittently played for them before shuttling back into the doghouse permanently at the end of the season. Some Knicks’ fans would like to forget that they ever acquired Kemba, but that it became disastrous and tumultuous for the both of them is also on Thibodeau for not being able to make it work, as well as the management for not asking him on how to build the roster, as Thibodeau sometimes is known for his stubbornness and rigidity, which could both help and hurt his team depending on the circumstances.

Rookies:

G Trevor Keels

Trevor Keels is a very athletic, strong combo guard that excels at attacking the hoop to score the basketball, and he also thrives as the lead ball handler. On the other hand, he will need to improve his jump shot and point guard skills, and he will still need to refine his overall game. He may need to spend most of his time polishing his skills in the G-League this season, but he is a talented player that may have considerable upside for the future.

Expected Rotation: