What's Next For The Knicks?

The New York Knicks are in an interesting situation after a 'surprise' season in the eyes of most. Reaching the playoffs after eight whole seasons was huge for the city, and brought life back to Knicks' basketball. While many fans are disappointed in the ending, there is still much to be proud of for the team. They were predicted to finish in the bottom of the East, but ended up finishing the regular season with a 41-31 record and finishing with three award candidates in the league. Derrick Rose (Point Guard) was nominated for Sixth Man of the Year, Tom Thibodeau (Head Coach) for Coach of the Year, and Julius Randle (Forward) for Most Improved Player. Randle and Thibs were successful in winning the awards, and it was still impressive just to have three nominees.

Going into the playoffs there were high hopes as they were able to snag the fourth seed, which grants you home court advantage. They played the Atlanta Hawks, which they had beaten all three times they had played in the regular season. Julius Randle looked like a superstar in those games where he averaged 37.3 points per game. Fast forward to the five game series between them in the playoffs, Randle averaged just 18 points per game. It was apparent Randle was struggling not only from the field, but from a playmaking standpoint. The Hawks came in with a game plan to contain Randle and it worked very well. Capela and other Hawk players would start to rotate over on a soft double right when Randle got the ball inside the 3-PT line. Randle was continuously flustered when trying to make decisions with the ball, making it almost the opposite of how easy the game flowed through him in the regular season. Although it was his first playoff appearance along with most of the Knicks squad, it showed Randle isn't a number one scoring option. This is why the focus for the next couple of years is finding another star to fit into the number scoring option role, so that Randle can fit into the second or third option.

Big decisions have to be made with the contracts of RJ Barrett and Julius Randle following the 21-22' season. Randle will be on the cusp of a max contract and RJ will be in for a new deal as his rookie contract will be expired. So, in a prove it year once again for Julius Randle, where do the Knicks go? A couple of options stand in the moment now. A superstar could be added, such as Damian Lillard, especially since his departure talks start to heat up. This type of deal would have to be through trade obviously and would involve young assets on the team such as Barrett. A superstar via trade is a stretch, but not out of the question with this up-and-coming team. Another route to take would be acquiring smaller pieces, but still very prominent to the team. This would be making additions such as Lonzo Ball at the point guard position, and going out getting someone like Myles Turner from the Pacers. This two additions would fit in nicely with the New York squad. Both players bring high levels of defense at their respected positions. Lonzo brings a playmaking aspect that has desperately been needed, while Turner brings a big paint presence that can stretch the floor, which is also needed. These moves don't propel them into the championship or to the top of the conference, but it is a step in the right direction for success. Amongst these moves are decisions on their upcoming unrestricted free agents such as Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, Taj Gibson, Elfrid Payton, and Reggie Bullock.

Now is the time for the Knicks to start making splashes, they have to continue this rise of New York hoops. The fans have been waiting for this team to succeed again, and now it's time to stay relevant. The only question is, what will they do next?