Reggie Bullock

New York Knicks could still find trade partner for Frank Ntilikina

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New York Knicks, Frnak Ntilikina

Where will Frank Ntilikina end up after a busy offseason for the New York Knicks?

The Knicks didn’t hold back this offseason from bringing in a plethora of new talent to help supplement the failure of missing out on Kevin Durant and others. Players like Julius Randle and Marcus Morris headline the free agent grabs, but the roster has gotten awfully crowded at certain positions.

Specifically, the point guard spot is now flush full of options — Dennis Smith Jr., Kadeem Allen, Elfrid Payton, and Frank Ntilikina.

The Frenchman has struggled to reach his potential after two seasons in the NBA. His defense is solid but his offensive production has lacked. Averaging just 5.9 points per game after two seasons is disappointing, and despite the offseason videos of him heaving up shots, Ntilikina seems to falter every time he featured on an NBA court.

Frank’s name floated around in the rumor mill prior to the start of free agency this year, and while he’s emerged unscathed, there’s still reason to believe he could be traded. Whether or not he has a future with the Knicks is undetermined, but considering he’s likely a third-stringer at this point, they might be better off trading him for draft value.

A team looking for a talented defender with promise could be a trade target, but convincing them of this would be the hurdle.

Smith Jr. and Payton offer the most value at the point guard position, as both are offensively fueled. Kadeem Allen has also shown he can provide value in short bursts. A two-way contract put the Knicks in an advantageous position.

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What else could the New York Knicks do with Frank Ntilikina?

Alternatively, the Knicks could try and move Ntilikina to a different position, but the reality is, there’s nowhere to really put him. With the drafting of RJ Barrett, signing of Wayne Ellington and Reggie Bullock, finding a spot for Frank beyond the PG position is nearly impossible.

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Head coach David Fizdale used the Frenchman in the 3 at times, utilizing his defense primarily, trying to take the ball out of his hands. That’s the role I anticipate he will feature in more and more as his offense dwindles. What Ntilikina offers simply isn’t enough to garner starting minutes, but a team looking for an above-average defender might be willing to part ways with a second-round pick — in that case, the Knicks should send him on his way before it’s too late.

New York Knicks: Kevin Knox could be buried with power forward surplus

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New York Knicks, Kevin Knox

While the New York Knicks made a point to put a team option in the contract of their recent free agent signings (most are on two-year deals), it doesn’t necessarily promote the development of their younger players.

Bringing in Marcus Morris, Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington, and Elfrid Payton, the Knicks signed three new power forwards and drafted another in RJ Barrett.

At the position, they now have Knox, Barrett, Morris, Randle, and Portis. Five players, three of which are proven and could steal playing time from younger options, especially Knox.

At this point, it doesn’t seem as if Knox will be a starting player and he might not even be a second-team reserve. Hopefully, they will favor him and allow him to continue growing and refining his skill-set.

Knox averaged 28.8 minutes per game in 2018, and I imagine that number will take a significant dip.

“It’s totally going to be different from last year,’’ Knox stated via the New York Post. “Rookie season, Mitch [Robinson] and Allonzo [Trier] got a lot of good minutes. That’s part of the development stage we were at. This year we got a lot of vets and older guys that will come in looking to play.”

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How are the New York Knicks going to approach this position battle?

The Knicks are certainly challenging the former first-round pick to reach his potential and compete with proven athletes. Shooting just 37 percent in 75 games over 57 starts, the 19-year-old will face off against Morris who was signed to a one-year, $14.8 million deal and the exciting Barrett who was the third-overall selection in the most recent draft. Portis is just another quality option that he will have to overcome.

Knox nailed it on the head, though — this is part of his development and competing will ultimately make him a better player.

New York Knicks: Is Kevin Knox ready to become a full-time starter?

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New York Knicks, Kevin Knox, RJ Barrett

Similar to his rookie campaign, New York Knicks power forward Kevin Knox had a solid Summer League, but this time around he seems different.

Coming into the league a more seasoned player, it’s obvious Knox has been developing his aggressiveness towards the rim and really attacking players in the paint. While we saw this last year, he didn’t seem to have the strength or gusto to weave his way through defenders.

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So far during the Summer League, he’s been putting all of his moves on display. Against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, Knox put up 25 points shooting 58.3 percent from the field (NBA.com). He also made two-of-five three-point attempts (40%).

While he did turn the ball over three times, something he will need to work on, his numbers have certainly been elevated which is a good sign. Last season, he averaged 12.8 points per game over 28.8 minutes played. In addition, his assist rate seems to be up as well, indicating his scanning of the floor and playing to facilitate and not objectify.

New York Knicks: Kevin Knox isn’t the only youngster coming into his own

Knox has looked stellar so far, and his rookie teammate RJ Barrett is finally coming around too, claiming his second-consecutive double-double and first triple-double in a 117-96 win for the Lakers.

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Barrett, who scored 21 points, shooting 35.3 percent from the field, also earned 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He had a very nice game utilizing his athleticism and dominating from the inside. His three-point game continues to struggle as he adapts to the length of the court, but he’s working his way into a role that will be consistent come the start of the regular season.

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Both Knox and Barrett will likely be starting options alongside Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, and Dennis Smith Jr. They have impressive rotational depth with Bobby Portis (could also start over Knox), Allonzo Trier, Ignas Brazdeikis, Damyean Dotson (can also start), Kadeem Allen, Frank Ntilikina, Wayne Ellington, Reggie Bullock, Taj Gibson, and Noah Vonleh. These are the primary players with several others sprinkled into the mix.

It will be interesting to see how the starting roster plays out, and having too much talent to choose from is certainly not a bad thing. Unfortunately, none of the options here are considered superstar caliber.

New York Knicks free agent negotiations

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The New York Knicks have been doing some free agent negotiating today.

Reports have surfaced from Adrian Wojnarowski that the Knicks have been re-negotiating with recent free-agent Reggie Bullock.  Bullock and the Knicks are reworking the 2 year, 21 million deal due to Bullock’s ‘fitness to play’ this upcoming season.  Bullock dealt with ankle and neck injures last season.

Both sides have been working well together to make a new deal happen.  Keepin Bullock would be a good addition to the Knicks poor outside shooting.

Another Wojnarowksi report came out shortly after the Bullock news.  Former Boston Celtic, Marcus Morris, is now back on the Knicks radar.  Morris recently agreed to sign with the Spurs for 2 years, 20 million deal.  However, he is now re-considering the Spurs deal to sign with the Knicks.

We have reported early, before the season ended, that Morris was high on the Knicks list.  Morris obtain the final roster spot and he would be another good veteran bruiser.

Morris would be the perfect Knick.  He is a player that is hard-nosed and that does not mind going to battle for his team.  He plays hard and embodies what the ’90s Knicks were all about.  Yes, he has lost a little bit due to age, but the fire is still there.

If Perry can pull off a beautiful re-structure of Bullock’s contract while adding Morris then this off-season would be consider a win for the Knicks, despite some believing it was a giant loss.