After an expedited offseason, the Knicks are already set to get back on the court Friday night as they make their preseason debut against the Detroit Pistons.

For NBA fans, it's exciting just to see all 30 teams back in action, but Knicks fans may have a lot of questions they'd like answers to, as New York takes the floor under a new team president, new head coach, and new players as well.

Here are seven things to keep an eye on as the Knicks tip off their 2020-21 campaign...

Thibs' coaching style in the spotlight

The Knicks changed a number of their on-court pieces this offseason, but the biggest change was the one made on the sidelines, as Tom Thibodeau takes over as head coach. Thibs has been known throughout his coaching career for his high-intensity and practices and hard-nosed defenses. So what will the Knicks look like under his leadership?

The NBA has moved more and more into a spacing and shooting league, with offensive totals up and defense often taking a back seat. So will Thibodeau embrace more of an up-tempo, offensive philosophy, or will he still be more inclined to slow things down in the half court and focus more on the defensive end?

Seeing how Thibodeau’s coaching style meshes with his Knicks roster will set the tone for the entire upcoming regular season.

RJ Barrett’s development in Year 2

Despite inexplicably being snubbed from all of the All-Rookie teams last season, RJ Barrett had a strong rookie year for the Knicks, averaging 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 40.2 percent overall from the floor and starting 55 games.

Barrett took on a huge role right away for New York last season, so how does he follow that up? One of the big questions will be whether or not Barrett can improve his outside shooting, as he shot just 32.0 percent from beyond the arc last season.

The former third overall pick showcased a maturity and a consistency well beyond his years as a rookie, so now where does he go from here? Can he take another step forward into becoming one of the top young players in the league, or will the dreaded “sophomore slump” befall him?

First look at Obi Toppin

The Knicks had their eyes on Obi Toppin on draft night, so much so that they had even discussed scenarios to trade up for the University of Dayton star. But the stars aligned for New York, and perhaps for the first time in the last 20 years, something seemed to go the Knicks’ way as Toppin fell to them at the eighth pick.

During the preseason, fans will get to see exactly where Toppin fits in on the Knicks. At 6-foot-9, 240 pounds, Toppin was more of a power forward/center in college, but with Mitchell Robinson (or perhaps Nerlens Noel) in the middle and Julius Randle at the power forward spot, will Toppin be able to start and be effective at the small forward position?

Toppin was an effective shooter from outside at Dayton when he needed to be (41.7 percent from three-point range), but he did most of his work on the low block and in transition. Seeing how Toppin fits in and meshes with Robinson, Randle, and the other Knicks bigs will be a huge factor for how the Knicks’ lineup is constructed throughout the season.

If Toppin can prove that he can guard on the perimeter and knock down outside shots consistently, he could see himself in the starting lineup at small forward for much of the season.

Starting point guard battle

Though names like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook were floated around as potential Knicks targets this offseason, the 2020-21 Knicks will begin play with roughly the same point guard rotation as last season.

The Knicks signed Austin Rivers, but he’s been more of a combo guard off the bench than a true starting point guard over his career. That means New York is likely looking at Elfrid Payton, Frank Ntilikina, and Dennis Smith Jr. as its starting point guard options.

Payton put up solid numbers during his first season in New York (10.0 points, 7.2 assists, 4.7 rebounds), but it’s no secret that his offensive game is fairly limited at this point. You know you’re going to get consistency out the pass-first point guard, but the Knicks are likely hoping that either Ntilikina or Smith Jr. can grab hold of the reins and never look back.

The problem is that neither of those two players has really shown any signs of being able to do that, but perhaps a coaching change will work well for the two former lottery picks.

Minutes for the big men

At just 22 years old, Robinson is clearly one of the most talented players on the Knicks' roster, as the former second round pick has begun establishing himself as an elite rim protector and a vicious dunker on the receiving end of lobs to the basket.

But how will Thibodeau use him? Last season, David Fizdale and interim head coach Mike Miller liked the way Robinson brought energy off the bench, and as a result, Robinson made just seven starts in 61 games while Taj Gibson made most of the starts at center.

It will be interesting to see if Thibodeau follows in the previous coaches’ footsteps and elects to bring Robinson off the bench, allowing someone like Noel to start. Also, will he decide to play more of a small ball group, with someone like Randle or even Toppin at center with a more guard-centric lineup.

Knicks fans would like to see Robinson on the court as much as possible, and if Robinson wants to really take that big leap forward as he enters his third year, perhaps a starting spot works best.

Last chance for Kevin Knox?

No team ever wants to give up on their first-round picks, especially after investing so much draft capital into them. Kevin Knox was the ninth overall pick by the Knicks in 2018, but he hasn’t lived up to that billing. And with a new coach and team president in town, it’s natural to wonder how long or short of a leash Knox will be on in 2020-21.

At 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, Knox has the length and shooting touch to be an effective three-and-D kind of wing player in the NBA. But he hasn’t put the pieces together yet, and in fact, he took a big step backwards last season, seeing his scoring average dip to 6.4 points per game, half of what he average as rookie in 2018-19. His playing time also dropped off significantly, as he averaged just 17.9 minutes per game and went through stretches where he was barely in the rotation.

Maybe Thibodeau, or even assistant coach Kenny Payne, can get the most out of Knox. Payne was a longtime assistant at the University of Kentucky, where Knox averaged 15.6 points and shot 34.1 percent from beyond the arc as an 18-year-old with the Wildcats.

The preseason will not make or break Knox’s future with the team, but it will be interesting to see how much of a factor he is in the team’s rotation. If he once again turns out to be a non-factor, the Knicks could look to move on from the former lottery pick sooner rather than later.

Popular in the Community