The New York Knicks look like a team bound for a playoff berth in the weak Eastern Conference. Yet, the NBA Draft Lottery is where they really want to be.
Contending for the NBA Playoffs is not how the New York Knicks imagined their 2017-18 campaign would go coming into the season. But a three-game winning streak highlighted by crisp offense and a tight rotation recalibrated expectations in New York.
Steve Mills and Scott Perry will soon be forced to decide between the Eastern Conference playoffs and the NBA Draft Lottery. Throughout the offseason and after the first two games of the season, the Knicks had their eyes set on the draft lottery.
Adding another young gun to join Kristaps Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina took priority over winning games. However, Jeff Hornacek inserted Jarrett Jack into the lineup and solidified the offense over two days of practice. Now the Knicks look like a team ready for a postseason run.
Every NBA season is a roller-coaster of progression, regression, roster roulette and unexpected turns. Consequently, the Knicks still have a long way to go, but not nearly as far as first expected. No matter the current condition of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets, the Knicks beat two teams they weren’t expected to beat.
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Suddenly, the New York Knicks look athletic, fluid and dangerous on both ends of the court. As long as Steve Mills keeps the current rotation intact, New York will remain a threat to almost every opponent they face, especially as Kristaps Porzingis looks poised to make the leap in Year 3.
Are the playoffs worth it?
Every professional athlete competes to win and be the best before any other motivation. The New York Knicks finally have a group of players with the proper focus as individuals and as a team. When Carmelo Anthony led the way in New York, teamwork and joint-effort took a backseat to his self-aggrandizing style of play. After Melo left, a team emerged sooner than anyone expected.
The new-look Knicks feature one of the best athletes and most skilled basketball players in the world. Kristaps Porzingis not only lives up to the hype; he demolishes any projected ceiling on himself and his team. Add in the ball movement provided by Jarrett Jack with the scoring (and balanced contributions) of Tim Hardaway Jr., and suddenly Madison Square Garden houses a team once again.
But if the Knicks lose in the first round of the playoffs and pick 18th in NBA Draft, are the playoffs worth it? Not picking in the top-10 of the draft would mean the Knicks miss out on talents like Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III and Michael Porter Jr., or even Kevin Knox and Wendell Carter. An early playoff exit could hamper the long-term growth of the team and cost them the chance to draft another superstar.
The Knicks finally learned from past mistakes and now own all their future NBA Draft selections. Obviously, trading up in the draft is a real possibility with the overload at the Center position on the current roster. Either way, the newly exciting Knicks risk slowing their rebuild by playing good basketball way ahead of schedule.
Decisions, decisions
The remainder of this NBA season for the New York Knicks will be an interesting obstacle course of decision-making for Steve Mills and Scott Perry. Winning cures all issues and has a way of re-focusing a fanbase and an organization. What is unknown so far, is what future roster moves the Knicks will make.
The future of Enes Kanter and if he remains in New York will be a real indicator of where the Knicks are going. On one hand, trading Kanter signifies the desire to not only save money, but to lose more games. On the other, keeping Kanter shows the team is focused on winning this year and keeping the current core together. Furthermore, keeping Kyle O’Quinn will be a stark sign for what the team really believes about Willy Hernangomez.
Factors that make things even more difficult for Steve Mills is media reaction, fan support and the team’s reputation among future free agents. The infamous New York media and Knicks fanbase is generally ruthless in their assessment of the teams they love. Yet, if that same media and fanbase is honest with themselves, they will only applaud what this team has become this season.
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It’s still only October, but at least for now, the New York Knicks have the look of a team that could compete for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Unfortunately for their long-term future, the team might be playing way too well, way too early.