The more desirable destinations in the world might be the Maldives or Bora-Bora, but the New York Knicks seem to be next on the list, as they have experienced an insane developmental jump this season under head coach time Thibodeau and his assistants.
The Knicks barely attracted some of the mediocre talents in the NBA, parting ways with Marcus Morris last season, retaining Julius Randle with the expectation that he might be traded at the deadline this year. However, Randle has exploded onto the scene, averaging 23.9 points, 6.0 assists, and 10.4 total rebounds, all career highs. He also has a .461 field-goal percentage and is hitting .418 from downtown, a statistical leap that bewilders mathematicians.
In fact, Randle’s success and dominance this season has single-handedly made the Knicks an interest for other star players around the league.
“There have been whispers for weeks that the Knicks’ flirtation with the East’s No. 4 seed has helped restore their reputation to the point that star players are finally prepared to consider them a destination franchise again,” according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
After beating the Atlanta Hawks a few days ago to claim the 4th seed in the Eastern conference, there is significant interest in big names that might want to take their talents to New York and play out on the biggest stage. Of course, we’ve heard names like Lonzo ball, Norman Powell, and plenty of others who could exercise player options or opt-out and take their talents to a team like the Knicks, who are primed to make a playoff push.
However, if you’re a star player and witnessing what the Knicks are accomplishing right now, you are seeing a team that has a lack of talent but an influx of heart and aggressiveness. Playing dominant defense and relying on one another, the Knicks are playing as a team and not as individuals, which attests to the old adage, “you are stronger together than you are as one.â€
That mentality alone is enough to coerce big names to New York, and while the Brooklyn Nets have Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant, the Knicks’ success is overwhelming in a city that has been dying to see the light at the end of the tunnel for years.