Questions?
When will Kristaps Porzingis return to the court?
Ah, yes. The million dollar question. The one that we really don’t have an answer for. There’s a sliver of hope amongst the most optimistic fans who believe that Porzingis will arrive on Santa’s sleigh for the Knicks marquee matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day. That would be a remarkable turnaround — even for a unicorn. But that scenario is highly unlikely it would seem.
Expect the Knicks to play it safe with KP this season. He could return late in the year and ease his way back into the rotation a la Paul George. But there’s also a chance that he sits out the entire season. During the annual Knicks Town Hall, Steve Mills was measured in his response about Porzingis’ return. He doesn’t sound like he wants to take any chances with the team’s franchise player.
“Our goal is to not do anything that jeopardizes KP’s future as being one of the foundational pieces of this team. So he’s gonna come back — he’s back. We’ll have some medical evaluations of him this week and we’ll start to develop what the right plan is for his plan to come back, but we are not going to do anything that jeopardizes, you know, the future of this franchise and we’re gonna be consistent and stay true to that.”
Will this season lead to a major free agent signing next summer?
This will become one of the overarching themes of this season. Once the season is in full swing, the focus will shift to the players on the floor and the box scores in the morning. The chatter about the upcoming free agent class will die down as the world is distracted by what happens on the court for a change.
But what happens on the court could play a major role when the likes of Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Klay Thompson are deciding on their future. The Knicks don’t necessarily need to win many games to catch the eye of a superstar. If Fizdale shows progress with his young corps and Porzingis can return to the court and display that he’s healthy, the Knicks could become an attractive destination.
A year of stability, a surplus of young talent, and a coach with endorsements from LeBron James and Dwyane Wade could help change the Knicks’ free-agent fortunes. Free agency is unpredictable, but even if they fail to attract a major free agent piece, they will be on the right track for sustained success.
Are the rookies for real?
The best part about this question is that we will get to watch this unfold in real time.
In terms of Porzingis’ timeline for a return, that will likely emerge through a few reports, but it’s not something that will keep you on the edge of your seat. For 2019 free agency, the rumors tend to die down during the season. It’s the NBA so there’s always the chance for some behind-the-scenes drama, but the free agency rumor mill shouldn’t be as active for large chunks of the season.
But for the rookie triumvirate of Knox, Robinson, and Trier, Knicks fans will have ample opportunities to watch them grow this season. Knox is the blue chipper of the bunch. The lottery pick with the length and an uncanny offensive ability. Comparisons to Jayson Tatum and even Kevin Durant have already entered the social consciousness.
It’s best to temper expectations because while Knox could very well contend for Rookie of the Year honors, he is bound for some bumps in the road. Of the three rookies, he’ll have the longest leash to “go through it” as Fizdale told the media. Knox will benefit from a major role in his rookie season. Expect him to be the most polished of the three at the end of the season.
We all know the Mitchell Robinson story by now. McDonald’s All-American, left Western Kentucky, took a year off, falls to the Knicks in the second round, dominates summer league, shows promise and a tough attitude in the preseason, and leads the Knicks to a championship in his rookie season. Wait, scratch that last part, but the rest of it rings true.
Robinson is a potential diamond in the rough with a sky-high ceiling that even he might have a hard time dunking on. After taking a year off he’s still incredibly raw. Fizdale has already said that he’ll spend time in the G League to work on his game, but he should see significant action in Madison Square Garden. He projects to be a rim-running and shot-blocking big man in the same vein as Clint Capela or even crosstown rival Jarrett Allen.
The third rookie and the one with the gigantic chip on his shoulder is Allonzo Trier. The undrafted rookie brought in on a two-way contract. He feels he’s a first-round talent and he plans to make a lot of teams regret passing up on him. But he’s also happy to be in New York. Trier turned down a few teams that were considering drafting him in the second round because he wanted to play for the Knicks.
He began his Knicks career with a strong showing in summer league. It was a small sample size, but encouraging. He followed that up with a head-turning preseason run that included a 25-point outburst in the Barclays Center. Another small sample size, but it was enough to convince the Knicks to keep him on the NBA roster until his 45 days of service run out. They’ll figure out who to cut or trade by then, but this shows how quickly Trier is rising on the depth chart.
