New York Knicks: The post-trade deadline outlook for the Knicks
Fringe players
For our fringe category, these players made the list based on their age, contract situations, and potential. Randle is the oldest of the group at the age of 25 while Knox is the youngest at the age of 20. Everyone, except Dotson, is under contract for the following season and they all have proven at some point this season that they could be contributors to this franchise.
Noticeably, Randle has been the best player in this category. After a rough start this season he has really turned it around. Randle is averaging 19.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a 45.4 field goal percentage per game. He has been the catalyst of this team and it proving why he should be kept as a core piece.
Smith, however, has to be one of the disappointments this year. Most of it is not his doing, he has just had a lot of bad luck with a death in the family and having numerous injuries keeping him sidelined. However, when he does get his opportunities, he looks so out of sync which makes it an eyesore to watch him play and leaves you scratching your head.
Recently, Smith has picked up his play. He would be a player you shouldn’t be surprised if he is kept or traded because of how this season has gone for him. Management can either look at this season as a mulligan or view it as a failure with the New York Knicks.
As for Ntilikina, Knox, Dotson and Brazdeikis, they have all had their ups and downs throughout the season. Perhaps Brazdeikis has been spared some of this turmoil because he spends most of his time in Westchester. However, the rest of this group have all had inconsistent seasons.
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As Jonathan Macri from Knicks Film School says, “development is not linear.”
Even considering he was a project, this year has not gone as expected. And I totally get that. But we hear all the time about how development isn’t linear. I want to see where the kid is at at the end of Year 3.
— Jonathan Macri (@JCMacriNBA) January 8, 2020
So these players could get a second look from new management because they have demonstrated their ability in flashes.
But whether it is Randle almost averaging a double-double, Smith having a downer of a season, or Ntilikina having a solid floor game, these players have demonstrated at some point this season they deserve to be kept.
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