The Knicks Improve Their Great Offseason

The Knicks Improve Their Great Offseason

This offseason has already been an A for the Knicks, with the only loss being Mitchell Robinson to the Celtics. They were able to retain all of their significant pieces without going over the second apron, and added Andre Drummond to fill the void of Mitchell Robinson.

In addition to this, the Knicks just made multiple moves over the last few days to give themselves a competitive training camp for their last two roster spots. This included signing former champions Bruce Brown & James Wiseman, along with other NBA veterans in John Konchar, Drew Eubanks, and Ochai Agbaji. This gives the Knicks five legitimate NBA players to fill out their already elite roster.

Who’s Got the Best Shot to Make the Roster?

First, you have to look at the team’s needs. While there are not many, one of the biggest needs is a third-string center. This will become a competition between Drew Eubanks and James Wiseman. Just off of his NBA experience, which includes 426 games vs. Wiseman’s 152 games, he should be the favorite to win this spot. Wiseman has also been plagued with injuries, which for a team that has championship aspirations is not something they would theoretically want to deal with.

On the other hand, Wiseman is still only 25 years old and could have some untapped potential as a former #2 pick. For a team that’s still strapped for first round picks and facing future financial difficulties, finding a young player that they can develop could be hugely beneficial. 

Another issue that the Knicks could have is wing depth, as even though they have incredibly good starting wings, they did play three guard lineups quite a bit in the playoffs. The development of Mo Diawara should help in this department, but I’d expect one more wing type to join this roster.

That’s where Ochai Agbaji, John Konchar, and Bruce Brown come in. The favorite should be Brown, as he played all 82 games last season for the Nuggets and has appeared in 47 playoff games. Agbaji is in a similar situation as Wiseman, as he’s a former lottery pick. Agbaji has actually played in a lot of games (263 games in 4 seasons) but hasn’t been able to stick on any team so far.

Konchar has a great chance to make the roster as well, as he’s even been called one of the NBA’s best “glue guys” by former teammate Dillon Brooks. If the Knicks are just looking for someone to up team chemistry and play quality minutes occasionally, Konchar should be a favorite to get a roster spot. On the other hand, Bruce Brown is the most impactful of the three, and could genuinely be a key rotation piece if he finds his form again.