What We Know
The Knicks had two late first-round draft picks. One, they punted to the Charlotte Hornets for a future pick. The other, they traded down to the 25th slot to take Quentin Grimes, a guard out of the University of Houston. Grimes is known for his shooting and defense, but like with many late-round picks, it’s difficult to project his success. It’s worth noting that the Knicks have had some recent success in trading for this draft slot: Last year, the Knicks acquired Immanuel Quickley, a Kentucky guard taken by the Oklahoma City Thunder at 25. He turned out to be one of the steals of the draft.
The Needs
The Knicks will have to decide if they want to bring back any of several key veterans who are unrestricted free agents, including Elfrid Payton. That doesn’t include Frank Ntilikina, a 2017 Knicks lottery pick, who played sparingly. The Knicks didn’t extend a qualifying offer to Ntilikina, which likely means Ntilikina will be added to the long list of hyped Knicks prospects who didn’t flourish with the franchise.
Rose, 32, was almost a lock to return because he played well last season. He and Thibodeau have a solid relationship, having been together with three different franchises. In the rare moments when the Knicks played fluid basketball against the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs, Rose led the charge offensively. But Rose likely cannot handle starter minutes at this stage in his career.
Last season, the Knicks rode a staunch defense to the playoffs, a Thibodeau staple. But the team was inconsistent on the offensive end, putting too much of a strain on Randle to generate offense. This made Rose a savvy midseason acquisition last season from Detroit. The Knicks need another top-level playmaker who can help Randle run the offense, and shooters to give him room to operate in the post. Fournier will be helpful in this regard, although Bullock’s departure means the Knicks lose some shooting at the same time.
Some of this, in theory, will also be solved with the improvement of the Knicks young players, like Quickley, Barrett and last year’s lottery pick, Obi Toppin.