Big Apple Hoops - Do the Knicks have enough?

 Big Apple Hoops

(SCORESTREAM) - In the Heart of Manhattan, where the lights of Broadway meet the hustle of the city. Lies the New York Knicks. A team with undeniable energy and passionate fans, after a pretty disappointing run in the 2010s, it seems that the Knicks are finally on the rise. 

With Coach Tom Thibodeau at the helm, the Knicks have rediscovered their defensive identity, their gritty and tough, with players like Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby who are enforcers on the defensive end. 

Despite this defensive prowess, the underlying issue with the Knicks which has been prevalent this season is that in some games it seems like the Knicks just have no identity on offence.

 Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are the leaders of the team, and well although they produce most nights on offence, other times they look lost out there, and when they are out of rhythm it seems to hold the whole team back. Although Brunson and Randle are both amazing offensive talents and all-star calibre players. The one thing this team seems to be missing is a true playmaker on the team, someone to lead the offence, facilitate and make plays.

                          

There is a lot of upside on the Knicks team, Brunson has really blossomed into an all-NBA caliber player. Randle has shown he is a competent player, through an injury-riddled season. Randle has not suited up for the Knicks since January 27th in a win against Miami, he went down with a dislocated shoulder towards the end of the 125-109 victory.

Trading Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barret to Toronto in exchange for Precious Achiuwa and OG Anunoby was a step in the right direction. 

Quickley and Barret are both phenomenal players, but they were not a good fit for the Knicks, The Knicks had too many ball-dominant players, and it is hard to run an offence when everyone needs the ball in their hands to produce efficiently.

- (8) OG Anunoby

OG Anunoby is an excellent forward 3 and D player, who meshed perfectly into the Knicks starting lineup. He is having a career year this season, with averages of 14.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, and 1.3 spg. OG is a positive player on both sides of the court, he is a critical part of what the Knicks achieve on defence. OG is shooting 37% from beyond the arch this year. Another good pickup in the trade was center Precious Achiuwa, although he comes off the bench, he provides much-needed energy off the bench, and he is a very efficient player on both offence and defence. With averages of 8.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, and a block. Precious is slowly developing a jump shot, which will be a very dangerous weapon to add to his arsenal.

The Knicks are on a very good path, they will be a contender in the East for seasons to come. Them winning the title or even making the finals, seems very unlikely this year, but with some good off-season moves, and the Knicks could turn into a very dangerous team. This team will be competing for a championship for the next seasons to come. Knicks fans should be very happy, the team is showing lots of upside, after the last unsuccessful decade.