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New York Knicks: Roster Rounding Into Shape

By Kaveh Jam

Jan 25, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Washington Wizards center Kevin Seraphin (13) shoots the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo (10) during the second half at Pepsi Center. The Wizards won 117-115. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Washington Wizards center Kevin Seraphin (13) shoots the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo (10) during the second half at Pepsi Center. The Wizards won 117-115. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Knicks took a surprising approach to their offseason this summer. They sat back, took a look around, made some overtures, let the dust settle, and made their move. They didn’t secure a cornerstone free agent but perhaps more importantly they didn’t hand out bad deals – something the organization had made a historically bad habit of.

New York’s latest and likely last significant move of the summer is 6-foot-10 center Kevin Seraphin, who spent the last five seasons with the Washington Wizards. He is a rugged post player with a solid interior game and unusually good touch around the rim (69 percent right at the rim per NBA Savant).

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For his career he’s a 49 percent shooter and has a tendency to unleash an outside jumper as well – though not the strongest aspect of his game. Seraphin’s value fluctuated significantly with the Wizards and at times appeared to fall out of favor in the rotation. He averaged 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in only 15.6 minutes a game last season but did appear in a career-high 79 games.

Seraphin joins a crowded frontcourt that includes Carmelo Anthony, Lance Thomas, Louis Amundson and newcomers Robin Lopez, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick Williams and Kyle O’Quinn.

Still, the depth at these positions is a refreshing change for the Knicks who were regulars at the bottom of nearly every defensive category including rebounding, an area Seraphin and Lopez in particular will likely help improve.

New York is putting the finishing touches on a diligent summer roster overhaul, highlighted by economical and team-friendly contracts. The signing of Seraphin, who agreed to a one-year $2.8 million deal, is continuing along the same line of thinking. He’s projected to back up Lopez and could prove to be exceedingly valuable in that role.

His one-year deal could also make things interesting in training camp, particularly in the battle for playing time. Seraphin will likely need to show the flashes of the post game that initially intrigued the Wizards in order to secure a longer-term commitment.

The Knicks have clearly opted to improve the team’s size presumably in an effort to make the team respectable on defense. The Seraphin move signals another under-the-radar move for New York who now have effectively pieced together a highly flexible roster of capable players as they look to become competitive in the Eastern Conference.

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