Knicks: 1 goal for each player going into the 2021-22 season

NBA fans and the media once considered the New York Knicks the laughing stock of the league as the franchise consistently submerged to the bottom of the standings.

This changed, surprisingly, during the 2020-21 season. The Knicks earned the 4-seed with a 41-31 record and 56.9 win percentage — the third-best since the 2000-01 campaign. Moving forward, New York will look to span its success over multiple seasons.

And doing so is reasonable since the front office maintained the core. Julius Randle signed a four-year extension while Alec Burks, Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel returned. Additionally, Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier join the rotation as key shot makers for a team desperately needing offense.

The New York Knicks look to continue their success from last season. Here is one goal per player to help NYK return to the playoffs.

Even with the successful offseason, the Knicks’ path back to the playoffs won’t be easy. There’s been drastic improvement among other competitive Eastern Conference teams — making it far more challenging to obtain the coveted 4-seed to secure home-court advantage in the first round.

Teams such as the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics should expect more growth from their young stars, while the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls made big splashes in free agency. All will certainly be in the playoff mix, forcing some of the named teams to be in the play-in tournament — something the Knicks should try to avoid.

If the Knicks hope to take the next step and deliver consecutive successful seasons, each player will need to step up. With that in mind, we detailed one goal per player for the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season.