New York Knicks Roster2021 New York Knicks Roster
41-31, 3rd in East Atlantic
The hopes of landing a big-time free agent continue to go unanswered. New York is a roster in shambles, as they have a lot of names that just don't fit the current project. Julius Randle was one of their main signings over the offseason, yet there isn't much built around him. They signed names like Elfrid Payton and Bobby Portis. While these names could be good one-off bench pieces or role player son other teams, as a whole on the Knicks it just hasn't quite worked out as planned. They will still hope to build this team around R.J. Barrett.
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG |   | 4 | 87 | #12 PG | 1 | 6' 2" | 200 | 32 | 10/4/88 | 12th season | Memphis |
| PG |  | 21 | 69 | #79 PG | 2 | 6' 5" | 212 | 25 | 11/5/95 | 2nd season | North Carolina |
| PG |  | 5 | 67 | 2 | 6' 3" | 190 | 21 | 6/17/99 | Rookie | Kentucky | |
| PG |  | 6 | 80 | #49 PG | 3 | 6' 3" | 195 | 26 | 2/22/94 | 6th season | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| PG |  | 11 | 75 | #70 PG | 4 | 6' 4" | 200 | 22 | 7/28/98 | 3rd season | |
| PG |  | 0 | 64 | #92 PG | 5' 10" | 175 | 23 | 9/14/97 | Rookie | Auburn | |
| PG |  | 13 | 0 | 6' 2" | 195 | 23 | 7/7/97 | Rookie | Seton Hall | ||
| SG |  | 9 | 73 | #22 SG | 1 | 6' 6" | 214 | 20 | 6/14/00 | Rookie | Duke |
| SG |  | 18 | 80 | #12 SG | 2 | 6' 6" | 214 | 29 | 7/20/91 | 10th season | Colorado |
| SF |  | 25 | 69 | #51 SF | 1 | 6' 6" | 205 | 29 | 3/16/91 | 7th season | North Carolina |
| SF |  | 20 | 75 | #56 SF | 3 | 6' 7" | 215 | 21 | 8/11/99 | 2nd season | Kentucky |
| PF |  | 30 | 84 | #34 PF | 1 | 6' 8" | 250 | 26 | 11/29/94 | 6th season | Kentucky |
| PF |  | 67 | 81 | #51 PF | 2 | 6' 9" | 232 | 35 | 6/24/85 | 11th season | USC |
| PF |  | 1 | 67 | 2 | 6' 9" | 220 | 22 | 3/4/98 | Rookie | Dayton | |
| PF |  | 31 | 78 | #41 PF | 4 | 6' 9" | 219 | 29 | 12/28/90 | 9th season | North Carolina |
| C |  | 3 | 76 | #27 C | 1 | 6' 10" | 220 | 26 | 4/10/94 | 7th season | Kentucky |
| C |  | 31 | 68 | #80 C | 3 | 6' 10" | 231 | 27 | 2/3/93 | 2nd season | St. John's |
| C |  | 23 | 83 | #15 C | 4 | 7' 0" | 240 | 22 | 4/1/98 | 2nd season | Western Kentucky |
2021 New York Knicks Roster Top Questions
Can RJ Barrett Live Up to the Hype?
While the Knicks missed out on Zion, they still managed to get the 3rd overall pick, resulting in the selection of former #1 overall recruit RJ Barrett. Barrett played with Zion at Duke last year, and despite all of the attention going to his teammate he was still able to post impressive averages of 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. The worry with Barrett, however, is his efficiency. This concern is mainly due to his questionable jump shot that resulted in him only making 30.8% of his 3-pointers during his only year of college. If Barrett can fine tune his shot mechanics, he can become one of the more dynamic young wings in the game, and this could finally be the big break the Knicks have been waiting for.
Will Mitchell Robinson Continue to Impress?
While the Knicks clearly struggled to play any winning basketball last year, rookie center Mitchell Robinson was an unlikely bright spot throughout the season. Despite being limited to only 20.6 minutes per game, he proved to be one of the best rim protectors in NBA right away as he was 2nd in the league in blocks per game (2.4) and 3rd in block percentage (10.0%). His offensive skills still have lots of room for improvement, and he often gets in foul trouble by being too aggressive going for his coveted blocks, but the future is still bright for Robinson. Hopefully he continues to shine within a larger role next season.
How Does the Power Forward Log-Jam Shape Out?
While the Knicks did do the smart thing by not handing out any long-term contracts to non-stars, most of the players that they did sign have something in common: they are all power forwards! Julius Randle, Marcus Morris, Bobby Portis, and Taj Gibson will all be battling with each other for playing time this season. Randle is arguably the best player of the bunch, averaging a career high in points last season at 21.4 points per game, but his shaky jump shot could be a problem if they plan to give heavy minutes to guys like Barrett and Robinson who need shooting around them. This is where Morris and Portis could both be valuable, since they respectively shot 37.5% and 40.3% from downtown a year ago.
