5 things Knicks should have on their wish list this holiday season
The holiday season is here, and we’re looking at five things the Knicks should have on their wishlist for basketball Santa to deliver under the tree this year.
Center depth
With Mitchell Robinson getting a lump of coal via a potentially season-ending injury, New York’s been hanging on thanks to Isaiah Hartenstein, an injured Jericho Sims and Taj Gibson’s last dance.
The Knicks also signed Dmytro Skapintsev from the Westchester Knicks out of the G-League on Saturday to a two-way contract.
If this is their center rotation going into the postseason, they’re going to need an upgrade, and arguably the best Santa can afford. They can do it via trade or free agency, targeting the Tom Thibodeau archetype of a rim-running defender, or switching things up with a floor spacer.
Either way, they should include added depth on their wishlist if they plan on heading into the playoffs without Robinson.
Pre-migraines RJ Barrett
If there’s a collective wish out of the Knicks fanbase that isn’t a championship or a star to win them one, it’s that Barrett will display that consistent play we've seen from him over stretches.
In his first seven games of the season, he averaged 22.6 points on 48.7 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc. He then missed time with migraines, and saw his shooting dip below 40 percent.
It’s likely just a blip, but getting him back into form would be huge for their prospects this year, and failing to do so a major disappointment after the start he’s had.
Starting wing upgrade
Maybe a blanket “superstar trade target” belongs on the list, but with Jalen Brunson having another career year, Quentin Grimes now on the bench and few franchise-altering centers out there, a bigger wing to defend and fill the gaps of the lineup looks ideal.
As the national media has been so quick to remind the world, this team isn’t ready to contend, which is totally fine, but that doesn’t mean they can’t wish for a holiday miracle.
It’s likely they get into talks on guys like Bojan Bogdanovic, Kyle Kuzma and De’Andre Hunter but are hoping for some big fish to take the bait. Unfortunately, Santa likely won’t be able to deliver on a Paul George or Devin Booker right now, but crazier things have happened.
More Brunson-Randle dominance
The holiday spirit isn’t just about getting wonderful things, but being grateful for what you already have, and the Knicks have two All-Star producers who are having another strong year.
After a scary start, Julius Randle has been as consistent as it gets for New York. He's putting up a stellar 25.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 52.2 percent shooting from the field.
Brunson averages 25.3 points, four rebounds and 5.9 assists a night on a scorching 45.8 percent from three, rounding out a devastating one-two punch the Knicks should wish continues on their spree.
Keeping Immanuel Quickley in a Knicks uniform
There’s nothing like the holidays with the family, and when a core member is missing, that void is felt by everybody.
It would be hard not to call Quickley a central member of this Thibs era Knicks team, but after not re-signing him this summer, they’re in danger of losing him in restricted free agency following this season.
That would be a brutal blow, given he’s in his second Sixth Man of the Year worthy season in a row, averaging 23-4-4 per-36 minutes on 38.3 percent shooting from three.
Short of packaging him for that contender-leading star, they should strive to do whatever it takes to keep him in their uniform by next Christmas.
