3 reasons New York Knicks won’t make the 2019 NBA Playoffs

3. The absence of a star

Not often do we see a star-less team make the postseason, even when it comes to this year’s Eastern Conference. The presence of a leader is extremely vital on every team and when that player steps off the court, his absence starts affecting everybody.

The Knicks are currently loaded with a number of good players, but none of them can be viewed as a star. Kristaps Porzingis playing throughout the whole 2018-19 NBA season would certainly change that and could’ve put the Knicks over the edge, leading them to their first playoff appearance since 2013.

During the 48 games he appeared in throughout the entire 2017-18 season, Porzingis averaged 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 32.4 minutes per game. From that stat line alone, people can see what kind of impact he has on the team, both offensively and defensively. Unfortunately, there’s still no timetable for his return, with Christmas starting to feel like an optimistic target date.

Can the team fill the void Kristaps has left at the power forward spot? If Kevin Knox ultimately starts as the Porzingis-replacement, can he space the floor and defend the way The Unicorn did? Even though those are rhetorical questions, for now, they will answer themselves in a couple of weeks.