Sports Illustrated - 21.10.2019

There’s no greater misery in the NBA

than Knicks fandom: six straight

losing seasons, a 20-year Finals

drought and an endless stream of

p.r. disasters. Last summer brought

a double whammy of pain, as New York missed

out on both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free

agency. The franchise may be at its nadir.

Now, a dash of optimism. The Knicks drafted

RJ Barrett of Duke with the No. 3 pick, then

signed Julius Randle in July. Yet it may be a former

second-round center who will have the Garden

buzzing. Last season 7' 1" Mitchell Robinson

BLOCKED 161 SHOTS in 66 games (a league-high

5.6 per 100 possessions). Only Pau Gasol has swat-

ted more as a rookie this century, and that was in

twice as many minutes. Another miserable season

awaits, but Robinson, who also showed signs of

being a weapon around the basket, serves as a

reminder that it’s not only big-name players who

can make big impacts. —M.S.

161

TELLING NUMBER

* NEW ACQUISITION \ R ROOKIE (COLLEGE STATS)

Starters

∂22 wins ∂Miss the playoffs ∂RJ Barrett will hoist more shots than any rookie.

DENNIS

SMITH JR.

13.6 PPG; 4.8 APG;

42.8 FG%; 32.2 3FG%

PG

RJ

BARRETT (R)

22.6 PPG; 7. 6 RPG;

4.3 APG; 45.4 FG%

SG

JULIUS

RANDLE*

21.4 PPG; 8.7 RPG;

3.1 APG; 52.4 FG%

PF

ENEMY LINES

A rival scout weighs in

THE
EAST

I thought FRANK NTILIKINA

could be a good

defender, but I haven’t

seen that. I thought he

could handle the ball,

but I haven’t seen that,

either. The shooting,

I don’t know if that

will kick in. We never

worried about him

when we played those

guys.... RJ BARRETT is

raw. He looks like the

type of guy who could

get hurt. He plays in

super straight lines.

He’s going to get

contact. He’s got to be

a better shooter so he

can avoid all that....

They are pumping it

up that KEVIN KNOX has

added strength. I’m

not seeing it. He was a

below average shooter

last year.... MITCHELL

ROBINSON’s athletic

talent and ability to

finish was impressive.

He was like Shawn

Kemp—just get it up

there and go get it. It’s

really hard to handle

pick-and-rolls with him

two-on-two. You have

to bring a third guy in to

protect. Now the weak

side is open and you

are into rotations....

JULIUS RANDLE is a really

tough offensive player.

And he often looks like

he couldn’t give two

f---s about defense.

In an ideal world, if he

can make some shots,

he would be able to be

a four. Then you have

him and Robinson. If

he can’t, you have to

play him at the five,

and that pulls Robinson

out.... I don’t see DENNIS

SMITH as a point guard

who is a leader. He’s

a good finisher, a guy

you have to keep out

of transition, go under

in his pick-and-rolls,

force him to shoot. You

let him get to the rim,

he’ll kill you.... They

could have an all-

toughness team with

MARCUS MORRIS, TAJ GIBSON

and BOBBY PORTIS.

Projected Lineup

MARCUS

MORRIS*

13.9 PPG; 6.1 RPG;

44.7 FG%; 37.5 3FG%

PF

REGGIE

BULLOCK*

11.3 PPG; 2.7 RPG;

41.2 FG%; 37.7 3FG%

SG

Bench

SF

KEVIN

KNOX

12.8 PPG; 4.5 RPG;

37.0 FG%; 34.3 3FG%

Crystal Ball:

MITCHELL

ROBINSON

7. 3 PPG; 6.4 RPG;
   2.4 BPG; 69.4 FG%

C

84

STEPHEN GOSLING/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (ROBINSON)

Knicks

NEW YORK

2018 – 19 RECORD 17– 65 5th in Atlantic

COACH DAVID FIZDALE 2nd season with Knicks