Knicks Mitchell Robinson
ESNY Graphic, Getty Images

For the New York Knicks, every win is validation they are heading in the right direction. Mitchell Robinson and Allonzo Trier lead the way.

Every win is a relief for David Fizdale this season. The New York Knicks are a young, rebuilding squad and it’s no secret that they will struggle to win games this season. So when the Knicks can cruise to victory like Friday night in Dallas, it’s validation that they’re heading in the right direction.

It’s hard to pick out one player from the Knicks who led the charge. Seven players scored in double figures and it wasn’t the ones you would necessarily expect. Mario Hezonja provided a shot of life with 11 second-quarter points. Even Emmanuel Mudiay dropped six points and dished out four assists.

The Knicks shared the ball better than they have all year. They finished with a season-high 26 assists. They were sharing the basketball and there was no one player the Mavericks could try and key on to stop the advance.

Mitchell Robinson provided the most exciting play of the game when he converted a reverse alley-oop that even got the Dallas bench hyped up.

The kid still has a long way to go, but he has all the talent in the world to become an exceptional player. He’s playing within himself offensively and lurking as a constant lob threat whenever he’s on the floor. He needs to work on his screens, but he could become a dynamic threat in the pick and roll. He scored 13 points on six shots while scooping up 10 rebounds.

But he showed his versatility on Friday with three assists and three steals to boot. He has the potential to become a special player. He also showed some toughness, playing in a career-high 34 minutes. He was a second-round steal.

Speaking of steals, Allonzo Trier poured in a career-high 23 points on a surprisingly low 10 shots. The undrafted free agent is one of three promising rookies on the Knicks roster. Kevin Knox, the highly touted lottery pick, has been sidelined with injury, but he should return to the court soon.

Frank Ntilikina battled with Dennis Smith Jr. all night long. Ntilikina struggled to find his shot, but he dished out seven assists and played tight defense as usual.

The Dallas Mavericks are not a great team. They are young and still a couple years away from contending for the playoffs in the Western Conference. That being said, the Knicks are in a similar position and wins like this validate the chatter about building a winning culture. This is what building a culture looks like.

CLICK HERE FOR ESNY's KNICKS TEAM CENTER 

 NEXT: FILM ROOM: Frank Ntilikina & Dennis Smith Jr. Meet Again 

 

-Follow ESNY - Elite Sports NY on Google News to keep up with the latest New York sports news.

Danny Small
NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR