New York Knicks: 4 goals following 2019 NBA All-Star break
1. Get the young guys on the court together
The Knicks have made this season more about growth and development of the young players instead of winning. So, for the final 24 games of the season, they should get those young guys on the court together as much as possible and figure out who is a part of the core going forward.
Guys like Kevin Knox, Dennis Smith Jr. and Mitchell Robinson aren’t going anywhere unless a trade for a superstar, such as Anthony Davis, becomes a possibility. The final 24 games are big for Frank Ntilikina, as this regime didn’t draft him. They turned down trade offers for him leading up to the deadline, but he will have to show more progress to finish the season better than he has thus far.
Once healthy, Ntilikina should be in the starting backcourt alongside Smith. They should play as many minutes together as they can handle. Fizdale said he isn’t opposed to using Smith and Emmanuel Mudiay in the backcourt together, but the Knicks already know what they have in Mudiay.
With Smith now on the roster, Mudiay probably isn’t in their long-term plans. Giving him minutes at the expense of Ntilikina, Trier or Allen makes little sense.
DeAndre Jordan has proved to be an excellent mentor for Mitchell Robinson since he was acquired from the Mavericks in the Porzingis trade. Robinson has looked like a totally different player since the deadline, exuding confidence on both ends of the court.
Jordan may continue starting, but it would be great to see Fizdale use a lineup of Smith, Ntilikina, Damyean Dotson, Kevin Knox and Robinson. All five players could be part of the young core going forward, so seeing what they could do on the court together would be fun to watch.
Seeing the young guys in action is arguably the No. 1 reason to tune into Knicks games for the remainder of the season.