The Knicks have one of the brightest futures in the NBA

I came in at the tail end of Melo’s tenure, so I had none of the good memories other people seem to share about him. Now that he’s gone, we have a young core of athletic high-character guys that can really put their all into the culture Fizdale is trying to bring.

Here’s a rundown of what I’m most excited for in the future:

Fizdale - Smart, (relatively) young, and has a killer's mentality. I think the Grizzlies let go of a gem and that he’ll fight tooth and nail for our young guys. Excited to see some of the positionless basketball he has been preaching.

FUN FACT: Obviously, everybody knows this, but he also seems to subscribe to the rumor that Kawhi may be more machine than man.

Porzingis - I'm from a small town in Alabama and this sequence is actually what turned me into a Knicks fan for life. While I’m not exactly a huge fan of the “Unicorn” nickname, it has spawned pretty creative and unique art. He’s an elite rim protector that can stretch the floor and throw down almost anything you lob his way. I’m not sure, but I think I saw that even a couple weeks after his ACL injury he was still leading the NBA this season in total blocks. He managed to make it to 8th place this year after playing in only 48 games. His other two seasons he ended 8th and 7th. Hopefully he puts on some muscle while he’s out and comes back an absolute beast.

FUN FACT: Not only is he fluent in English and Latvian, but he also seems to have picked up Spanish during his playing days in Spain, making him at least trilingual.

Ntilikina – I know people were underwhelmed with his offensive stats last year, but I saw a flash in the second summer league game on what exactly he can do when he’s aggressive on the floor. He’s already an elite defender at 19 and I believe the sky is the limit for this guy. With his wingspan he’s a menace for opposing point guards. Even if he never turns out to be great on the offensive side, I think him clamping the other team’s best guard is an invaluable asset to our team’s future. Also, he didn’t back down and pushed the greatest player in the world out of the way when LeBron tried to rook him.

FUN FACT: Not really a fact, but he seems to have the cool combination of a French/American accent. When he says, “and also for myself to get better as a player” it sounds like a completely different person.

Knox - I hate that one of the best days of this guy’s life was overshadowed by this obviously planted twerp and his corny-ass dad, but ESPN is owned by Disney and is more entertainment-focused than purely sports. I didn’t know much about him, but he tore up summer league and looks like a beast. KD is his favorite player and I hope he keeps molding his game after him. Hopefully he wins ROY when it’s all over. I know it’s a long (long loooooooong) shot, but with his possible nickname being 2K and his number being 20, I think the marketing team of 2K20 would be dumb to not put him on the cover. Again, he’d have to overachieve even the highest expectations, but I just thought that’d be cool.

FUN FACT: His dad won a national championship at Florida State playing wide receiver and played with the Cardinals for a year.

Robinson - My choice for the steal of the draft. Holds both all-time records for blocks and offensive boards (per game) in summer league history and looks hungry to prove everyone that doubted him wrong. No one will even be sniffing the paint with Big Meech and Porzingis roaming around. I think I read that he worked out with Anthony Davis’ trainer and his defense shows. I also love the short answers in all his interviews and I hope he keeps that up in the future. Locking him up for the next 4 years on incredible value is what I’m most excited for to be honest.

FUN FACT: He’s a freak athlete.

Burke – I’m not sure if he’s a part of the long-term team, but I hope so. He shows flashes of AI’s handles and scoring ability. The cornrows also help a lot with the comparison. If we could keep him as a 6th man that brings buckets off the bench, I’d be incredibly happy.

FUN FACT: His local youth league had to change its rules so that he would not keep stealing the ball from the other team. He wasn’t allowed over half court when they had the ball. Legend.

2019 Pick - I’ve never been one to support tanking, but if we don’t do well this year with Porzingis out then we’ve locked up another high-potential player for the future that may turn some free agent’s head. My best-case scenario for the season is for all our young players to get quality minutes, show a lot of potential, and have a top 10 pick at the end. Throw in some trades that free up a max for the summer and I think we’re going to be a huge pull for at least one franchise changing player. I’m glad we aren’t one of the teams wasting a year to compete with Golden State and that I can just watch the games with an open mind. It’ll be a struggle when we lose, but as long as I see improvement under Fiz I’ll be happy.

Baker - Some may disagree or even laugh at his addition to the list, but I love the hustle this guy plays with. Scrappy, gym rat, ect. ect. His defense is pretty good and when he’s on the court you know he’s gonna give everything he has out there. Any guy crazy enough to contest AD barreling towards the basket has my eternal respect. Also, he still rocking the haircut I had in middle school. Love the guy. His contract isn’t the best, but I’m hoping there was some sort of backroom agreement where we pay him a lot initially and then he re-signs on a long-term team friendly deal.

FUN FACT: He led his high school to their first state championship win and won said game with a put-back buzzer beater. He has his own children's book. He made an incredible defensive play and shook Ben Stiller's hand afterwards. He once had his own day dedicated to him in his hometown where neither him nor his parents attended. One time he dressed up like "Jake from State Farm" for a Halloween party and pulled off the whitest dance moves ever. He's an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and is listed on their Wikipedia page as a "notable tribal member". He shares a name with this guy. He did this in 2K once. Here is a rap about him. Surprise, this was actually a Ron Baker post the entire time. Go Knicks.

Submitted July 23, 2018 at 03:12AM by MilkshakeTurtle https://ift.tt/2A1V09p