- The New York Knicks won 47 games last season and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2023 playoffs
- The Miami Heat defeated the Knicks in the second round in six games
- The Knicks’ projected starting lineup for next season looks great
The New York Knicks had a special 2022-23 season. They won 47 games in the regular season and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in five games. It was the Knicks’ first playoff series win since 2013.
The Knicks’ impressive run came to an end in the second round of the postseason, as Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat beat New York in six games.
The Knicks’ projected starting lineup for next season is headlined by two stars and three solid role players. Let’s take a look at it.
Point Guards
Starter: Jalen Brunson
Reserve: Immanuel Quickley
Jalen Brunson left the Dallas Mavericks last offseason for the Knicks on a four-year, $104 million contract. Dallas failed to keep Brunson, who said he would have agreed to the four-year, $56 million contract extension he was eligible for in 2021-22.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has argued the franchise didn’t get the chance to negotiate with Brunson before the lefty left for the Knicks, but Dallas’ valuation of Brunson was obviously lower than what Brunson and New York felt it was.
Brunson was spectacular for the Knicks last season. He averaged 24.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.6% from beyond the arc, and 82.9% from the free-throw line.
In the 2023 playoffs, Brunson put up 27.8 points and 5.6 assists per game. He could make his first All-Star team next season since the Knicks are back on the map.
Shooting Guards
Starter: Quentin Grimes
Reserve: Donte DiVincenzo
Quentin Grimes had a terrific second season with the Knicks. He averaged 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 46.8% from the field, 38.6% from beyond the arc, and 79.6% from the foul line.
In the 2023 postseason, Grimes put up 5.1 points per game. Several people around the NBA believe Grimes is the Knicks’ best perimeter defender. If Grimes can improve his offensive game like he did from his first to second year, New York could have a two-way star on its hands.
Grimes’ best game of last season came versus the Indiana Pacers on April 5. He finished with 36 points, six rebounds, and five assists while shooting 14-of-23 from the field and 5-of-13 from 3.
Small Forwards
Starter: RJ Barrett
Reserve: Josh Hart
The Knicks drafted RJ Barrett with the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The lefty averaged 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season while shooting 43.4% overall, 31.0% from 3, and 74.0% from the free-throw line.
Barrett signed a four-year, $120 million rookie-scale extension with the Knicks in September 2022.
A Toronto native, Barrett has career averages of 18.1 points, 5.4 boards and 2.8 assists. He was almost traded to the Utah Jazz last offseason in the Donovan Mitchell trade, but the Jazz wound up sending Mitchell to the Cavaliers.
Power Forwards
Starter: Julius Randle
Reserve: Isaiah Hartenstein
Julius Randle averaged 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists last season while shooting 45.9% from the field, 34.3% from beyond the arc and 75.7% from the free-throw line. The Texas native signed a four-year, $117.1 million extension with the Knicks in August 2021. Randle will make $25.6 million next season and $27.6 million in 2024-25.
Randle underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle in June. He is expected to be ready for training camp, though.
Randle averaged 16.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in the 2023 playoffs against the Cavaliers and Heat while shooting 37.4% overall and 25.8% from 3-point land. The All-Star shot only 3-of-14 from the floor in Game 6 versus the Heat in South Beach.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith wants the Knicks to trade Randle. Smith is a huge fan of the Knickerbockers and is done with Randle.
“Julius Randle, I am done with this man,” Smith said on May 12. “I’m calling for the New York Knicks to trade him. You’re not going to win with him. His body language, the second his shot is not falling, he’s defeated and it has contagious effect. It’s like a virus that hits everybody. … Julius Randle is not the answer. Trade him. He needs to go. Because every postseason, this is what he does, and that’s the way that it is.”
Centers
Starter: Mitchell Robinson
Reserve: Jericho Sims
The Knicks signed Mitchell Robinson to a four-year, $60 million contract last offseason. The Florida native averaged 7.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks last season while shooting 67.1% from the field.
In the first round of the 2023 playoffs, Robinson averaged 8.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in the five-game series versus Cleveland, outplaying Cavaliers stars Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
A Western Kentucky product, Robinson has career averages of 8.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 289 games with the Knicks. New York has signaled to other teams that if the right star becomes available, the front office will be aggressive in pursuing him.
However, the franchise has been protective of Robinson in trade talks, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. Robinson isn’t untouchable, but the Knicks would prefer to keep the big man.
