MVP: Tim Hardaway Jr.
Of all of the awards on this list, this one is the most farfetched. Had Kristaps Porzingis been healthy, he would have been the selection for the team’s likeliest MVP. However, his return from ACL surgery is clouded. As a result, the player the Knicks are paying lavishly in Tim Hardaway Jr. is the selection.
Hardaway, whom the Knicks selected in the 24th overall pick in 2013, was traded to the Atlanta Hawks during the 2015 NBA Draft. He spent two seasons there before signing a lucrative four-year, $71 million deal in free agency in 2017. Hardaway failed to live up to expectations there, but the Knicks need him to pick things back up.
Hardaway put up career highs across the board last season, averaging 17.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. At only 26 years old, those numbers should only increase in the second season of his second go-round with New York. If he can get his 3-point shot back on track to his career-norm, he will be close to 20 points per game.
A big reason for the drop in efficiency was that Hardaway battled injuries. If he can remain healthy, in addition to the work that he puts in during the offseason, he could take a leap in his sixth season in the league.
It is an extreme long shot that Hardaway is anywhere near being in the MVP running. If he is mentioned among even the best shooting guards in the NBA this season, it would be a success for the Knicks.
The Knicks have had only one MVP winner in their franchise history. Willis Reed took home the award following the 1969-70 season.