New York Knicks: Playmaking wing remains as need to fill

The New York Knicks added some younger talent this offseason that they are hoping to develop, but a playmaking wing still remains their biggest hole.

The New York Knicks are in the midst of a rebuild. With new leadership in place, a new approach is finally being taken in regards to building the roster.

Scott Perry and Steve Mills are putting the final touches in their first full offseason as general manager and team president. David Fizdale was hired as head coach, replacing Jeff Hornacek, and is excited for what lies ahead.

This offseason, the goal of the organization was clear. They wanted to add low-risk, high reward players without eating into future cap space. They accomplished that, agreeing to one-year deals with Mario Hezonja and Noah Vonleh this offseason. The addition of former lottery picks began last season with Trey Burke and Emmanuel Mudiay being acquired.

The Knicks have made a concerted effort to acquire young talent that has not panned out elsewhere in the hopes of developing them. It has worked to a degree with Burke, who dominated the G League before landing with the Knicks’ NBA team and continuing to play well.

For a rebuilding team such as New York, it is a good approach to take. Stockpiling as much young talent as possible and seeing what sticks is a good way to go about rebuilding. With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined and his return unknown, it makes sense to see what some of the young players can do.

However, throughout this rebuilding process, the Knicks have one glaring need: a playmaking wing. Yes, point guards spend a majority of their time on the court initiating the offense, but having a player on the wing capable of doing it is important too. Right now, New York lacks that.

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Over at Bleacher Report, each team’s biggest remaining weakness was compiled in an article. For the Knicks, that biggest remaining weakness was a playmaking wing. It would be tough to argue otherwise at this point in time.

Here is part of what Bleacher Report had to say about it:

"“[Courtney] Lee should be the first answer. That doesn’t make him an ideal one. Going on 33, he doesn’t fit the timeline of a rebuilding team.“[Lance] Thomas may be the 87th coming of Draymond Green in head coach David Fizdale’s eyes. He’s not. Forcing him to wear a bunch of hats on defense isn’t too much of a stretch.“Keep going through the options. They won’t get better with [Tim] Hardaway or Hezonja. [Kevin] Knox is an interesting pick after his summer-league detonation, but he’s a teenager who’s more of a big than a wing. Frank Ntilikina works if you’re both desperate and certain the Knicks won’t ever groom him as a point guard.”"

While the Knicks have some intriguing talent on the wing, this is a major concern. Courtney Lee set a career high with 2.4 assists per game last season, so him being the No. 1 option makes sense.

However, as was pointed out in the article, Lee is not a fit for the Knicks’ long-term plans. If they want to be players in free agency in 2019, he will have to be traded.

Tim Hardaway Jr. also set a career-high in assists last year with 2.7 per game. However, he leaves much to be desired as a playmaker. Lance Thomas has never averaged 1.0 assists per game for a season, and Mario Hezonja’s career high is 1.4 per game. Kevin Knox also averaged 1.4 assists per game during his lone season at Kentucky.

As things currently stand, there isn’t a player that can be trusted as a playmaker on the wing. Outside of Thomas, the other players are still young enough that they can develop more playmaking skills.

The most intriguing option of the bunch is Knox. After his performance at Summer League in Las Vegas, Fizdale may want to see what else he can do. He has already shown the ability to score the ball. If he can develop some playmaking skills as well, he would be even more dangerous offensively.

Burke and Mudiay are more of scoring point guards that are capable of playmaking. Frank Ntilikina has yet to show enough to play point guard full-time, but if they commit to him as a wing player, he could fill the void.

Adding more playmakers, in general, is something that the Knicks should be aiming to do. Whether it be on the wing or in the backcourt, a playmaker should be near the top of their to-do list.