Through two preseason games, the Knicks are 1-1, playing both against the Detroit Pistons. In their win, they scored 90 points and held the Pistons to 84, watching second-year player RJ Barrett scored a team-high 15 points. In the second matchup, Barrett once again dominated, scoring 25 points and connected on 10 shots from the field.
Barrett is slowly developing into a star and showed his influence during the first two preseason games, but there is a long season ahead, and it represents an opportunity for him to develop significantly in his second professional season under new head coach Tom Thibodeau.
However, the Knicks don’t necessarily have a star player, but having their head coach admit that might not be the best for the player’s confidence.
The Milwaukee Bucs extended Giannis Antetokounmpo on a super max-contract on Tuesday, paying him about $45 million per season on average. The Knicks were hoping Antetokounmpo would reach free agency, and they could make an attempt at signing him, but since his name will be off the board next off-season, they will have to look at their own roster and determine who can reach star status.
Of course, they will have the cap space to go out and try and sign a big name, but they must present an appealing option first and foremost.
The New York Knicks don’t have a star but don’t tell the players that:
The importance of signing a star player is essential, and Thibodeau affirmed that narrative this week.
“I think it’s critical,’’ Thibodeau said Tuesday on Zoom of adding a big name. “When you look at every team in the league, particularly the playoff teams. … There’s a lot of different paths to getting stars. Sometimes it’s the development phase. I think when you look at Jimmy Butler when he came in, he hardly played as a rookie. He played more each year and then would become a top-10 player in the league. It’s a testament to his work ethic and how he approached things.
“So some guys continue to get better year after year. Sometimes you have to do it through trades, sometimes it’s free agency. But I think you have to be very aggressive in seeking out those opportunities. They just don’t happen by accident. You have to make them happen.â€
Thibodeau made it clear that he intends to target elite level players in the future, and most of them bounce around the league as they continue to grow. Ultimately, he believes that young star players are more inclined to stay with the team that drafted them, similar to Giovannis.
“I think the system is set up to help the team that drafted the player to keep him,’’ Thibodeau said. “So there’s a big advantage. It’s hard to get someone to leave. Every play, every situation is different. So you plan for everything. Being opportunistic is important. Sometimes there’s situations that arise whether it be through free agency or trade. But I think every day that has to be a priority for the organization to seek out those opportunities.â€
It seemed that Thibodeau was quick to answer a question regarding star players and the fact that the Knicks simply don’t have one. If I were a player on the team, I might feel as though the head coach didn’t have faith in the roster. However, it is clear his intentions are to develop the young players and hopefully turn them into competent pieces.
What do you think? Should the players overlook his comments and think nothing of them, or does it display a lack of faith?