Wayne Ellington

New York Knicks: Embracing the ‘Underdog’ Mentality

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New York Knicks, Wayne Ellington

The ‘underdog’ mentality is taking over the New York Knicks.  Newly acquired Bobby Portis was the first bring this mindset to the forefront.  Now, another new Knick is embracing this attitude.

Wayne Ellington signed a two-year, 16 million dollar deal with the Knicks over the summer.  In an Q & A with Hoops Hype, Ellington agreed that the Knicks “really do” have a bunch of dogs.  He continued, “That’s the DNA of this team, man. Win, lose or draw, at the end of the game, the opponent is going to feel us. They’re going to feel like they had a fight that night.”

Ellington got this mentality when he spoke with Portis and, also, newly acquired point guard, Elfrid Payton.  According to Ellington and those two, the team is going to be “relentless.”  They will be bringing a gritty defensive mentality and they’ll “be picking guys up all 94 feet” Ellington mentioned.  Seems like a 90’s Knicks mindset as well.

Despite what many fans may think, there is a lot of optimism surrounding this team.  The Knicks have the talent to be able to make some noise in the East this season.  The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are the clear favorites, but the rest is wide open.

The Knicks will be ready to shock some people this season.  Ellington even stated that during his Q & A with Hoops Hype.  Ellington added, “Everyone was obviously focusing on the other team in New York because of the signings they had this summer, but I think we’re going to shock a whole lot of people.”

The ‘underdog’ mentality seems to be taking over the New York Knicks this season.  The players seem to be embracing it and shows that the players will be coming together as a team to turn some heads.

New York Knicks: Julius Randle and Wayne Ellington needed eachother

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New York Knicks, Julius Randle

When the New York Knicks began their off-season spending spree, they probably didn’t imagine Wayne Ellington being a part of their plans. Their most prolific signing, Julius Randle, was the catalyst behind also adding Ellington, a known three-point shooter.

The perimeter shooter received interest from multiple teams but ultimately signed with the Knicks after Randle gave him a call, according to ClutchPoints:

“There were a lot of teams that were interested. I spoke to a lot of different teams and considered a lot of different situations, but [my agent] Mark Bartelstein and I just felt like this was the perfect situation for me,” Ellington told Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. “Obviously, New York is a very young team. They have a nice young core with Kevin Knox, who they drafted last year, and RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, who was one of the first people I heard from. He was hitting me up like, ‘Yo, I need you, man! I need your shooting!’

 

“Things just came together pretty quickly, honestly. The interest was mutual and I just feel like it’s going to be a great situation. A lot of people are counting us out, and we hear all of those rumblings. We hear all of it. We’re excited and we’re a very motivated group.”

What does Wayne Ellington offer the New York Knicks?

Wayne signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Knicks after spending time with the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons during 2018. Ellington will help stretch the floor and provide better in leadership for the youngsters on the Knicks. Last season, he hit on 40.3% of shots from the field and 37.1% from beyond the ark in 53 games.

The Knicks will likely use him in a specific way and lean on his ability to score from three-point land. The Knicks lacked shooting ability last year, and they made it a priority to add quality in that facet of the game. Their offense should be far more efficient and productive during the 2019-20 season.

New York Knicks add veteran three point specialist to roster

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New York Knicks, Wayne Ellington

New York Knicks veteran signings Julius Randle and Marcus Morris have plastered the headlines for the past few weeks, but some of the more underrated options have fallen through the cracks.

Veteran three-point specialist, Wayne Ellington, could receive consideration as a potential starter during the 2019-20 season. The likelihood that Ellington earns starting minutes is unlikely, though, considering the drafting of rookie RJ Barrett and the elevation of sophomore power forward, Kevin Knox.

The starting lineup could look something like this, Barrett, Dennis Smith Jr., Marcus Morris, Mitchell Robinson, and Julius Randle. However, Ellington might play a similar role to second-year man, Allonzo Trier. Both are unique scorers that serve a specific purpose and will make their impact when called upon by head coach David Fizdale.

The New York Knicks needed a boost in this area:

Last season, the Knicks were 27th in three-point shooting at 34%. The spacing on the floor was inadequate, and the Knicks weren’t able to score efficiently without consistent shooters from beyond the arc.

Ellington gives them that advantage and will play a unique role in expanding the space between players and allowing better passing and ball movement. Without space on the court, the defense will lack, and there will be less driving lanes for the power forwards to exploit.

Ellington is a career 37.9% three-point shooter. Throughout the last four seasons, Ellington has connected on average 2.5-3 three-pointers per game. In 2018, the Knicks averaged only 10 per game. Having more threats from the perimeter with veteran experience and knowledge will help the team grow as a unit. It will benefit the aggressive players that attack the rim, and it will help them on defense.

At 31 years old, Wayne has the veteran leadership accolade and can help the flow of the game for the younger players while on the floor. He has experience in the playoffs and playing with quality teams; something needed after last season’s 17-win debacle.

While the idea of Ellington starting might go against the preferences of most fans and analysts, he could provide more value in terms of spacing and perimeter shooting then options like Barrett or Knox. However, I highly doubt Coach Fizdale takes this route.

New York Knicks to rely on two impactful rotational players next season

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New York Knicks, Damyean Dotson

While the New York Knicks headlines have been crowded with names like RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, some of the younger, rotational players have gotten lost in the shuffle.

The Knicks signed a flurry of veterans this offseason to help supplement their lack of experience and average age being below the drinking limit. However, the leadership and knowledge they gained from bringing in options like Randle and Marcus Morris will prove to be beneficial, especially for the youth foundation the Knicks are keen on building through.

Rotational players like Allonzo Trier and Damyean Dotson might benefit the most, though, as they will not hold the pressures of being a starter. Barrett, Kevin Knox, and Mitchell Robinson will all bear that responsibility, and it could be overwhelming for the trio.

What do the New York Knicks have in Trier and Dotson?

Trier and Dotson, two of the more promising young players for New York, will develop behind the scenes and play specific roles next season under head coach David Fizdale. The competition that has been built throughout the roster will ultimately help the progression of the team and expedite the process of their refinement.

Wayne Ellington, Reggie Bullock, and Barrett will all compete for playing time along with Trier and Dotson. The guard position will be packed full of capable players, some more talented than others, but it’s who can produce the most that will see more time on the court.

Trier, one of the young offensive studs for the Knicks, is developing his three-point shot, a factor of his game that can be influential and important moving forward. He shot .394 percent from beyond the arch last year on 2.1 attempts per game. His success has convinced the coaching staff that he should be taking more shots from three. His offensive qualities should see him earn more playing time, but his defense needs work.

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Dotson, on the other hand, is more of a utility player, capable of playing offensive and defense at an average level. It’s essential to have rotational players that can be utilized in different scenarios and help at any moment.

Dotson elevated his offense last season, seeing a jump from 4.1 points to 10.7 per game from 2017-to-2018. He is an ‘okay’ on-ball defender, but he developed into a decent shooter, knocking down 36.8% of his 342 attempts last season. The reality is, both Trier and Dotson can be good players for the Knicks, but they’re facing an uphill battle for minutes.

Is the New York Knicks depth enough to carry them to the playoffs?

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New York Knicks, Noah Vonleh, Frank Ntilikina

Can the New York Knicks survive off their depth?

While the New York Knicks have a questionable starting lineup, their depth is encouraging and has the quality to be one of the most productive in the NBA. However, without an adequate starting unit, it will be challenging to succeed at a high-level and earn a spot in the postseason.

Some might argue that the Knicks starting five is full of talent and capable of surprising us all. A more realistic bunch might hit on some of the questions marks that remain on the team. For example, the lack of chemistry the team currently has, the youth that they will put out onto the court, and the inconsistencies at their point guard position.

Dennis Smith Jr. might have a ton of optimism surrounding him, but he isn’t an elite scorer despite being an above-average athlete that comes up with momentum-changing plays on occasion.

Behind Smith Jr., the Knicks have Frank Ntilikina and Elfrid Payton, two reserve-caliber players that won’t crack the starting team, theoretically giving Dennis the advantage.

It is expected that RJ Barrett, the Knicks third overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft, will be a starting player this season. There are plenty of challenges for him to overcome, and they will be displayed on the court daily. His lack of experience will limit the ultimate success the Knicks can have, but their depth might be able to supplement some of his deficiencies.

The players coming off the bench—Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis, Wayne Ellington, Damyean Dotson, Allonzo Trier, Noah Vonleh, Payton and Ntilikina.

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Second-round pick, Ignas Brazdeikis, has also looked impressive this off-season giving him a potential shot at playing time in 2019-20.

The reality is, the Knicks don’t have any superstars on their team after losing out to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but they do have plenty of productive players that can compensate to a degree. While the playoffs might be an optimistic goal at this point, they have the potential to raise a few eyebrows down the stretch.

The New York Knicks could have one of the deeper benches in the NBA

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New York Knicks, Ignas Brazdeikis

The New York Knicks added a lot of depth this off-season. While fans may not agree with many of the additions, their bench runs deep.

One of the newest Knicks, Bobby Portis, believes the Knicks bench can be one of the best in the league.

Portis was quoted saying, “I think we’ll be a top bench after the Clippers…with our bench we have really good weapons in me, Marcus (Morris), Taj (Gibson), Alonzo Trier, Wayne Ellington. The list goes on.”

Portis is bringing a very positive attitude and energy to this squad. He was already on record saying he loves being the underdog and the Knicks are big-time underdogs this season. On paper, the Knicks do have a solid bench. But, one of the best in the league is a little stretch.

What will the New York Knicks bench look like?

The bench will most likely consist of Morris or Kevin Knox, Gibson, Portis, Elfrid Payton, Trier, Frank Ntilikina, Ellington, Kadeem Allen, Damyean Dotson, and Ignas Brazdeikis.

They cover almost every position with young quality backups. With all players showing potential to start, playing time will be an issue. Coach Fizdale will have his hand’s full distributing playing time.

To start the season, he could swap Knox and Morris, starting Morris, to add some rebounding and defense over an unproven second-year lottery pick.

The bench will need to let their play do the talking. All of this optimistic hype Portis is bringing to the Knicks is great, but let’s see how that translates to the court. Everyone is counting the Knicks out already, so proving they do, in fact, have one of the deeper benches in the league, should be their goal.

New York Knicks: What will Allonzo Triers Role be In 2019?

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New York Kicks, Allonzo Trier

The 2019-2020 NBA season will soon be upon us and the New York Knicks, fortunately, have a few young bright spots from last season. One of them went undrafted, Seattle native, 23-year-old, Allonzo Brian Trier.

This 6’5″ 200lbs fierce and competitive combo guard’s role is quite clear.  Trier’s purpose, of course, is to provide extra offensive torque, lift and power off the bench for the Knicks, similar to what Lou Williams provides for the clippers, also identical to what JR Smith’s role was with the New York Knicks during seasons 2012-2015. 

Last season, Trier proved he’s a legit NBA scoring machine. His deadly offensive repertoire had Knick fans at the edge of their seats drooling and waiting for the next trick he had in his secret bag in the middle of a lost season. This former Arizona Wildcat earned respect from those who didn’t know of him before he entered the league undrafted although coming out of high school, Trier was a projected mid-first-round talent. 

Trier went undrafted due to controversy, injury, and what some scouts would describe as a selfish style of play. He calls himself “Iso ZO” for a reason. However, the kid gets buckets like there won’t be a tomorrow.

How did the New York Knicks fair this offseason?

The New York Knicks led by Scott Perry and Steve mills had an extremely underrated 2019 offseason after coming up short in the Durant and Kyrie sweepstakes.

Perry went on to give out reasonable and tradeable contracts to veterans in order to provide scoring, depth, and relief for the young core in Kevin Knox, Allonzo Trier, Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett, Dennis Smith Jr. Ignas Brazdeikis, Damyean Dotson and Frank Ntilikina. 

Allonzo will benefit from guys like Elfrid Payton, Wayne Ellington, and even Reggie Bullock due to their experience, professionalism, and knowledge, which can have a positive effect on Trier’s basketball IQ. “Keep What You Kill” will be in full effect in training camp. 

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That kind of competitive nature Fizdale preaches to the young studs will bring out the best in everybody. No Handouts. Coach Fizdale will be seeking wins this season, and Allonzo Trier will be comfortable knowing he will be the primary and first scoring option of the bench for the Knicks.

The New York Knicks have the best depth in the league, but will it be enough?

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New York Knicks, Damyean Dotson

Will the New York Knicks succeed based on the quality of their depth?

The New York Knicks took an interesting approach to their success during the 2019-20 season, building out the depth of the roster and failing to bring in any real game-changers. The closest they got was with Julius Randle, an above-average scorer with awful defensive traits.

The depth on the unit, however, looks fantastic. The acquisitions of Bobby Portis, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton, Reggie Bullock (who likely won’t play), and Taj Gibson, really gives the team some reliable playmakers beyond the starters. The Knicks might have the deepest bench in the league when you consider the ample youth that will be left behind due to the signings of Randle and Marcus Morris.

Portis, a dual position player, stated according to Clutch Points:

“I think we’ll be a top-ranked [bench] after the Clippers with Lou [Williams] and Montrell Hazell — that’s pretty strong. With our bench we have really good weapons in me, Marcus [Morris], Taj [Gibson], Allonzo Trier, Wayne Ellington. The list goes on.

Depth is an essential thing in the NBA, given the unpredictability of injuries and inconsistencies from players. Having missed out on superstars like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the least the Knicks could do was bless the fans with a deep bench.

A bevy of power forwards seemed for fitting — Portis, Randle, Morris, and Gibson. While already have one on Kevin Knox on the roster. It’s anticipated that both RJ Barrett and Knox will continue as starters on the team with Dennis Smith Jr. featuring as the point guard. We can also estimate that Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson will also act as starters.

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Morris will rotate in with Knox a considerable amount and Portis with Robinson. It’s hard to predict how head coach David Fizdale will utilize his players, especially with a plethora of talent at power forward.

There’s little doubt the starting roster will be better this season – capable of more than 17 total wins. They’re looking to compete for a playoff spot; however, it might be a bit soon in the rebuild.

Grading the New York Knicks offseason acquisitions

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New York Knicks sign Julius Randle.

The New York Knicks certainly made a splash in free agency, all without signing a superstar player to help rebuild the franchise from the ground up. With the amount of youth featuring on the team, it was essential head coach David Fizdale injected some veteran leadership into the starting team and roster-depth.

Here are the grades for the New York Knicks signings:

Marcus Morris: B

Averaging 13.9 points per game last season, Morris puts up solid numbers on the offensive side of the ball, however, he’s a bully in the paint and can also drain threes (.375% in 2018). My concern with Morris is that he will burry Kevin Knox on the bench and will take essential playing time away from the second-year player.

Competition is part of the game, though, so Knox will have to stand up to the challenge and play his best basketball.

Julius Randle: B+

At just 24-years-old, Randle is an up and coming athlete that averaged 21.4 points per game and 8.7 total rebounds per game last year. He’s an above-average player and will likely be the most influential and impactful signing the Knicks make this year.

As a natural power forward, he will slot right into the starting role. The issue is his defense, as he seems to be lazy at times and will let offensive-minded players take advantage of that weakness. That’s a part of his game he must work on.

Wayne Ellington: C+

The Knicks needed to add shooters badly after an extremely rough offensive outing in 2018 as a whole. A solid shooter from three (.371% in 2018), Ellington can make an impact in a hurry on offense. He averaged a bit over 23 minutes per game last year, making him a capable rotational player.

He has value on offense, something the Knicks desperately needed to assist this offseason.

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Elfrid Payton: C

Payton is a decent player, but the Knicks are still looking to start Dennis Smith Jr. who’s been working tirelessly on his perimeter shot with shooting coach Keith Smart in Westchester. Elfrid can be a suitable backup for Smith Jr., but his presence pushes Frank Ntilikina back on the depth chart.

It seems as if the Frenchman has seen his last starting opportunity in the Big Apple. Averaging 10.6 points per game from Payton should be good for the offense.

Taj Gibson: B

I love this signing, as he will be the primary mentor for Mitchell Robinson. The 10-year veteran center can instill some important knowledge into the young player, something he will need to take his game to the next level.

Playing in 24 minutes per game last season, Gibson still has some juice left in the tank, but I imagine him playing a secondary role in 2019-20 while the Knicks stick with Bobby Portis and Robinson at the center spot.

Bobby Portis: B-

The Knicks brought in Portis to essentially compete with Robinson for the big-man spot. Portis played 77 percent of his minutes at center last season, which will give him the upper hand in securing the role. The only issue is his defense, which is utterly terrible.

He’s a solid scorer averaging 14.3 points per game last year, but he averaged less defensive rebounds than Julius Randle at 6.4. I anticipate Robinson earning more playing time, but we can’t rule out Portis as a potential starter.

Reggie Bullock: C

We likely won’t see Bullock for quite some time after having a cervical herniated disk operation. The recovery time is about six months before he can even participate in physical contact drills.

Being that he will likely make a very minimal impact at most on next season, the $4 million he will earn will have been an absolute waste. The Knicks struck out big time with Bullock who will have to fight the team option next year.

 

The New York Knicks did the best thing for their youth in free agency

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New York Knicks, Kevin Knox, RJ Barrett

Some might argue that the New York Knicks did their team a huge disservice by signing multiple veterans that will ultimately pick up a ton of playing time in 2019. My argument is the opposite.

As an organization, babying your players and not allowing them to compete hurts them more than anything. Competition brings the best out of athletes, and that’s why signing a slew of veterans to come in and steal playing time away from guys like Kevin Knox, Allonzo Trier, Mitchell Robinson and Damyean Dotson makes perfect sense.

Complacency is a dangerous thing, but it can be avoided by testing the younger players’ will power and ensuring they’re mentally ready to take on the challenge.

Who did the New York Knicks sign?

This offseason, the Knicks signed Marcus Morris, Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton, Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington, Bobby Portis, and Taj Gibson. Knox might be hurt the most by the excessive amount of power forward the team brought in, but it’s necessary for his development.

A majority of these deals are one/two-year deals with a team option, allowing the Knicks the theoretically move on after one season and open up cap-space to pursue a superstar in 2020-21. This is the right way to do things, as guaranteeing another year without playoffs just won’t fly in NY anymore. It’s simply time to contend no matter the cost.

Why will Kevin Knox struggle the most?

Selected ninth overall in 2018, Knox was never seen as a superstar right off the bat, but rather a long-term play for the team. Finishing his rookie campaign with 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and a 47 true shooting percentage in 57 starts, it was realized that the forward needed more time than expected to reach his potential.

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With playing time being the primary need, the Knicks added a ton of power forwards to shuffle him to the bottom of the roster. Knox has the ability to play both forward positions, but Randle and Portis will be frequent flyers at power forward and Bullock/Morris at small forward.

The logic behind this move doesn’t make much sense to me, but he was the only player that really struggled out of the Mitchell Robinson, Trier and Dotson grouping, and he was their first-round pick last year. Next season will be his time to show he can be the player the Knicks desperately need him to be.