The Knicks haven't had the type of success team-wise in the last three decades that's resulted in an NBA title. Though, the 1990s did see them in the playoffs every year with two NBA Finals appearances. Since the 2000-01 season, things have been much worse, as the Knicks have won just one playoff series.
They have had some individual stars on the roster over the years, though, with players like Patrick Ewing, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Kristaps Porzingis among other big names.
But through the ups and downs of the last three decades, there have been some players who were underrated during their time with the Knicks.
Here's a list of seven of the most underrated Knicks of the last 30 years, with some honorable mentions as well…
Pablo Prigioni (2012-15)
Prigioni's stats won't blow anyone away. He averaged just 3.9 points and 3.0 assists during his 2.5 seasons with the team, but he was a very reliable backup point guard. He could start when he needed to (he had 48 starts as a Knick), but his value was off the bench as the conductor of the team's second unit.
During the 2012-13 season, when the Knicks won 54 games and won their only playoff series since the 1999-2000 campaign, Prigioni averaged over 16 minutes per game coming off the bench behind Raymond Felton, averaging 3.5 points and 3.0 assists.
A coach on the floor, it's no surprise that Prigioni transitioned to coaching after his playing days. He's been an assistant with both the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves, and was also briefly a head coach in Spain.
Kurt Thomas (1998-05, 2012-13)
Kurt Thomas enjoyed a long career in the NBA, and he was well-traveled, suiting up for the Knicks, Suns, Spurs, Heat, Bucks, Blazers, Bulls, Sonics, and Mavericks.
His first stint with the Knicks started in 1998-99 and ran through the 2004-05 season. He played in 530 games during that time, with 412 starts, averaging 11.2 points and 7.9 rebounds. The Knicks as a team trailed off during those years, but Thomas was a consistent presence.
However, Thomas' time with the Knicks may be remembered most fondly for his return to the team for the 2012-13 season. It was his final year in the NBA, but at age 40, Thomas was a leader in the Knicks' locker room and is credited with being a big part of their run to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He played just 10 minutes a game that season and averaged just 2.5 points and 2.3 rebounds, but he was the glue that helped keep the team together.
Marcus Camby (1998-2002, 2012-13)
Like Thomas, Marcus Camby also came back for a second stint with the Knicks to finish his career. But it was his first stint in New York that was more memorable.
Camby, the second overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft out of UMass, was traded to the Knicks in a deal that sent Charles Oakley to the Toronto Raptors. When Camby was acquired, Ewing was still the Knicks' starting center, but he was the full-time starter by the 2000-01 season, when he averaged 12.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. That season, he also memorably threw a punch at Danny Ferry, but ended up head-butting head coach Jeff Van Gundy instead.
Defense was always Camby's forte, as he led the league in blocks four times and was the 2006-07 Defensive Player of the Year with Denver. As a Knick, he played 221 regular season games, averaging 9.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game.
Doc Rivers (1992-94)
Rivers was an established veteran by the time he got to the Knicks in 1992, having played eight seasons in Atlanta and another with the Clippers. The Knicks had won 51 games the year before, but lost to the Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinals.
Rivers helped the Knicks increase their win total in his first season to 60 games, as he started 45 games and averaged 7.8 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.5 rebounds. Rivers played with an edge that the Knicks needed, and helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Michael Jordan and the Bulls got in the way again, but Rivers and the Knicks forced them to six games.
Rivers, of course, has gone on to be a Championship-winning head coach in the NBA.
Video: Can Leon Rose bring a superstar to the NY Knicks?
Jamal Crawford (2004-08)
Crawford played for eight different teams during his NBA career, and even though he was out of the NBA in 2019-20, there were reports he could possibly come back for a 20th NBA season.
A seemingly ageless scorer, Crawford is a three-time Sixth Man of the Year award winner, but when he played with the Knicks from 2004-06, he started 210 of the 288 games he played.
Unfortunately for Crawford, he played on the Knicks during an awful streak for the franchise, as they failed to win more than 33 games in any of his four full seasons. Still, despite the team's failings, Crawford put up very strong numbers, averaging 17.2 points while shooting 35.3 percent from beyond the arc.
In 2008-09, Crawford played 11 games for the Knicks before being traded to the Warriors for Al Harrington, which brings us to …
Al Harrington (2008-10)
Much like Crawford, the player he was traded for, Harrington put up very strong numbers for some very bad Knicks teams. Following the trade from the Warriors, Harrington played 68 games for the Knicks that season and averaged 20.7 points per game -- the highest average of his career. He also shot 36.2 percent from three-point range.
2009-10 would be his final season with the Knicks, but he once again put up strong numbers, averaging 17.7 points and 5.6 rebounds.
Like Crawford, Harrington was an NBA journeyman, playing with the Pacers, Hawks, Knicks, Nuggets, Warriors, Wizards, and Magic. He played for some awful Knicks teams, but that shouldn't take away from how he performed on an individual basis.
Wilson Chandler (2007-11)
Chandler was a good find in the draft for the Knicks, as they selected him out of DePaul with the 23rd overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft.
He had a fine rookie season, averaging 7.3 points in 19.6 minutes, but his performance took off during his sophomore season, as he thrived in new head coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo scheme.
In his second season, Chandler started 70 games, and averaged 14.4 points while shooting 32.8 percent from three-point range. He even played for the sophomore squad in the All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge.
Over the next couple of seasons, Chandler's play in D'Antoni's system only got better, as his scoring average increased to 15.3 points per game in 2009-10, and then increased again to 16.4 points in 51 games with the team the following year.
By that point, Chandler had evolved into one of the better two-way wing players in the NBA, but the Knicks were in a position to land a superstar, and that's exactly what they did, sending Chandler to Denver as part of the deal that brought Carmelo Anthony to New York.
Chandler has battled through some injuries, but he's still playing, suiting up in 35 games this season with the Nets.
Honorable Mentions: Hubert Davis, Xavier McDaniel, Charlie Ward, Lance Thomas