Stephon Marbury recently warned the New York Knicks against trading for another elite scorer. Marbury, known for his strong opinions, gave sound reasons for the Knicks remaining balanced throughout their roster when speaking to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on Wednesday:
“You’re gonna have two or three guys that are gonna take the majority of the shots…I think it would be disruptive…” Marbury asserted. “Adding another piece, a guy that has that same defensive mind frame, but that can score the basketball but not a prolific scorer. I think that can help…Normally this is when we make those types stupid a– trades and then somebody comes and then everything messes up.”
Stephen Marbury: A third top-shelf scorer on the Knicks could upset Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle’s rhythm
The former two-time NBA All-Star sees the defensive-oriented team being solid as presently constructed with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle doing the hefty lifting on offense.
The Knicks have several talented scorers on their roster. Brunson has upped his season average to 26.9 points per game. Randle is putting up a customary 24 points nightly. They give the Knicks a proven championship recipe at their helm.
Knicks have three other fringe-20-point-per-game scorers that need the ball
Around them, Bojan Bogdanovic is now one of the most prolific bench scorers in the league. He’s proven to be a legitimate 20-point per-game producer in two of the last three seasons, albeit on poor teams. OG Anunoby is also a strong tertiary option averaging 15.5 points per contest and is liable for 20 points on any given night.
Donte DiVincenzo has been on a tear in the midst of the Knicks’ injury plague. His 21.7 points since Randle and Anunoby went down at the end of January have proven him to be another high-level contributor with championship experience.
Marbury may be on to something. If the Knicks go ahead and move mountains to acquire the likes of Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) or Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), that could throw off the chemistry of a Knicks team that is already one of the slowest-paced teams in the Association.
Knicks are tied to MVP candidates in the upcoming 2024 trade market
Assuming that New York retains Brunson and Randle, another All-Star could push one of them, likely Randle, to the team’s third role. That may not jibe with either.
It will also take opportunities away from some of their other aforementioned scorers. Bogdanovic in particular has already struggled since joining the Knicks, despite having increased opportunities with the roster being hanged up.
Nonetheless, if an MVP-caliber player is available, say Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), that would be a move that the Knicks would be wise not to pass up on.