New York Knicks: Predicting the 2020-21 statistical leaders
Rebounds: Mitchell Robinson
In his opening pair of professional seasons, Robinson showed one major weakness, in an otherwise well-rounded skillset. He continuously got into fouling trouble, leading to him playing just over 20 minutes per game.
His 5.3 fouls per 36 minutes on his two seasons is certainly worrying, though he showed signs of improvement last season when compared to his rookie campaign. Assuming he resumes his development and shows adequate restraint, he should be on the court a bit more.
Last season, it was actually Julius Randle who led the team in rebounds per game, though Toppin’s arrival might be ominous for Randle’s future on the team.
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Assists: Elfrid Payton
Moving on to yet another easy prediction, betting against Elfrid Payton as the team’s main dime-distributor would not be a smart investment.
To put things into perspective, last season Payton averaged 7.2 assists per game, with Randle being a–not so close–second at 3.1 needle-threaders per outing. Despite being one of the many point guards the Knicks possess, assisting seems to be an area where Payton faces very little competition.
Being a poor shooter and all, Payton has made a career for himself as a great distributor of the basketball. After having played six seasons as a pro, Payton can boast about never having had a season where he averaged under 6 assists per game.