The New York Knicks are a team with a lot of potential but unfortunately, they struggled a lot when their star player Kristaps Porzingis tore his left ACL earlier this year. Of course, they have other players who could step up, but the team just wasn’t the same when the injury happened in February meaning that the team didn’t do as well as they could. As the Knicks wait for news on Porzingis’ recovery, we have taken a look at some of the other players and have accessed who will step up and help the team have a good season.
What Happened To Porzingis?
In February of this year, Porzingis came down in an awkward way when attempting a dunk, Unfortunately, for the player and his team, this happened only a few weeks right before he was due to play in his first all-star game. Porzingis tore his ACL but the news did come out that the tear was clean and so he did not manage to damage any of his other ligaments. This is good news for the player and the Knicks, but the recovery process has been a long one and many people are saying that the player might not be back on the court until around Christmas time. It has also been said that it would be better for the team to coast along without him for longer rather than have him come back to early without a full recovery. Throughout this all, the New York Knicks are staying strong and the attention of the public is on the other players.
Kevin Knox
Looking to the future, it has been said that Knicks player Kevin Knox could be the leader of this team and take the title of top scorer. He is the newest face on the roster for this team and he has been listed as a top 10 pick. His previous experience at Kentucky with games reaching 20-plus points has shown that he might be the man to step up and help the team while Porzingis is out. Of course, this player is only 19 years old and he lacks a lot of the experience that other players on the team and in other big teams have. He definitely is one to look out for and if you consider yourself a fan of sports betting then you should check out the odds on a site such as Stakers. Stakers provide one of the best betting experiences for its users and offer a scientific approach to data accuracy, so you can easily find all of the data you need to make a smart bet. Don’t believe us? You can check it out for yourself in this article: https://www.stakers.com/en/betting/ which explains what they provide and how it works.
Enes Kanter
Another player who could be set to step up for the Knicks is Enes Kanter who averaged 14.1 points in 25.7 minutes. Kanter did finish third on the Knicks but he has been around for seven years and he has a lot of experience when it comes to the game. He has a good chance of being the top scorer while Porzingis is out of the game and landing some touches that will help the New York Knicks place in the competition overall. This player could spend some time building on his current score rate, but he might just sail to the top as someone needs to take the position of Porzingis until he returns fully recovered.
Tim Hardaway Jr.
The final player who looks like they might be stepping up to replace Porzingis is Tim Hardaway Jr. This player managed to finish the last season with 17.5 points as well as 15 shot attempts. This is a good score and indicates that he might be able to pick up the title of top scorer throughout the season. Since Porzingis has been out of the game, Tim Hardaway Jr has actually managed to post 18.7 points and 16.1 attempts per game. However, he doesn’t quite have the strong three-point shooting that the New York Knicks need in order to get themselves to the top of the league. It’s safe to say, that Tim Hardaway Jr has the potential to fill Porzingis’ spot if he does what he can to improve his shot and bring home some victories for the Knicks.
What If No-One Steps Up?
It would be ideal for one of these players to show their worth and slot into the spot that Porzingis has left free, however, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he couldn’t. The Knicks would prefer not to tank the season but if they can manage to keep their reputation and stay afloat, they could be ready to take on the new season when it comes around. It is probably best for Porzingis to stay out of the game until he is fully recovered if he wants to ensure that the injury does not cause any more problems. The team needs to think about the future and not focus too much on the present if they want to succeed in the next few seasons.
Final Verdict
The players that Porzingis has left behind are good enough that they could hold the team up without too much hassle. They do, however, lack some of the abilities of this great player and his absence is clear when they are on the court. Players like Tim Hardaway Jr, Enes Kanter and Kevin Knox should all see what they can do to help the Knicks progress in the new season. It is important that the team knows that Porzingis will return at some point and that there is no reason to rush his recovery for the sake of winning a few extra games at the start of the season.
It is up to the team and its coaches to see what they can do to step up and keep up the good reputation of the New York Knicks. If no one ends up stepping up and the team coasts along throughout the season, they should have some time to regroup and with the help of a fully recovered Porzingis, they can rebuild the future of the Knicks.
Make sure to keep up with the NBA and see how the Knicks fare in the new season.