New York Knicks: The Chicago bubble conundrum

Positives about the Chicago bubble

Youth Development

A benefit for the team (which would spark fan interest) would be developing the young Knicks. Before the season stopped, players such as RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, and Frank Ntilikina were continuing to show signs of progress. These three had an up and down season, and it looked like they were poised to have a solid finish.

Robinson was proving he could stay out of foul trouble by averaging 2.2 per game in March. Ntilikina was demonstrating that he could play aggressively with increasing his drives per game from 3.4 (February) to 6.8 (March). And Barrett’s shot was starting to fall based on his free-throw percentage increase from 54.1 to 75.8. Yes, March was a short month, making it a small sample size, but the numbers show that these players were starting to make improvements.

It would be great to see if they could continue their positive trend. However, it may be challenging to do so after not playing for three months.

Talent Evaluation

Chicago could be valuable for Kevin Knox and Dennis Smith Jr. to work through their flaws. Both players struggled this season (Smith more so than Knox) and took a significant step backward.

According to Basketball-Reference, Knox went from averaging 12.8 points in 28.8 minutes per game as a rookie to 6.4 points in 17.9 minutes per game this season. Smith’s Box Plus-Minus went from -1.9 (2018-19) to -6.1 (2019-20).

Both suffered from many setbacks this season. Whether it was Smith with his back injury, losing his stepmother and having a concussion or Knox losing playing time because of coaching decisions or the backlog of forwards the Knicks signed.

Continuing the season could be beneficial for them to work on their game, and it may also help Leon Rose and the front office decide who’s worth keeping long term.

NBA G League call ups

Players such as Ignas Brazdeikis and Kenny Wooten could get some playing time after their success in the G League and being vital contributors to the Westchester Knicks.

Brzadeikis used his strength and craftiness to average 20.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists with a 34.4 3-point percentage in 33.5 minutes per game. Wooten (NBA G League All-Defensive Player) displayed his savvy defensive skillset by averaging 3.6 blocks per game.

The Chicago bubble would be a great chance to see how both of these players’ abilities can translate to the NBA level.

Lamar Peters and Jared Harper are also players the Knicks organization (and fans) would probably love to see with some reps in Chicago. However, there is not enough information on how G League players will be able to participate. If they need a two-way contract, the Knicks may be hesitant to make that decision.

Coaching

Depending on who the coach is by the time teams have to report to Chicago, they will be able to implement their system to some extent. The coach would also have a small sample size to evaluate which players to keep for their brand of basketball and the talent that they will need in the offseason.