Knicks season preview: A bridge year ahead of a huge summer

Pinch yourselves, New York Knicks fans.

For the first time since Patrick Ewing patrolled the paint, your Knickerbockers are undergoing a smart, methodical rebuild with no interest in skipping steps. The Scott Perry-Steve Mills front office has stabilized the organization since taking over for Phil Jackson before last season. In David Fizdale, they hired a coach with a championship pedigree from his time with the Miami Heat.

After decades of either trading their draft picks or choosing busts, the Knicks have kept their pick for three straight seasons, landing Kristaps Porzingis, Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox.

In Porzingis, the Knicks have a foundational building block who possesses the size, skill and drive to be a generational player. He opened last season playing at an All-Star level, putting up 26 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 40 percent on three-pointers during his first 23 games. In the modern pace and space NBA, his combination of perimeter shooting and shot blocking makes him the ideal big man.

His recovery from a torn ACL will extend into the regular season and likely ends New York’s chances at the playoffs. A small silver lining of his injury is that the Knicks should land another impact player with another ensuing lottery pick. After his blistering start to last season, he appeared to struggle with carrying so much of the offensive load each night. Adding another high draft pick will help New York in the long term.

Ntilikina proved to be standout defender as a rookie, but needs to improve his shooting touch. Drafted as a point guard, Fizdale plans to have the 6-foot-6 Ntilikina play across the lineup as the Knicks try to figure out how to maximize his skill set. With realistic expectations entering the season, the Knicks can afford to experiment with Ntilikina.

New York plans to continue its newfound commitment to first-round picks. The team announced in September that they will not trade their draft picks to bring in star players. When Jimmy Butler listed the Knicks among teams he wanted to be traded to, the front office stuck to its word and didn’t make a serious run at him.

New York’s pragmatic approach to a rebuild has been noticed by players around the league, too. Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes has reported the Knicks are a serious threat to sign Kevin Durant in free agency next summer. The Knicks have set themselves up to have room for a max contract in free agency. They even delayed signing Porzingis to an extension to maintain that flexibility. For the Knicks to lure Durant or another star to Madison Square Garden, they will need to show that Porzingis is healthy and they have a supporting cast ready to make noise in the Eastern Conference.

X-factor

During Porzingis’ absence, No. 9 pick Kevin Knox will get a trial by fire to start his rookie season. The 6-9 forward electrified during Summer League to the tune of 21.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. His 35 percent shooting was a concern, but he did show off a strong three-point stroke, connecting on 35.7 percent of his attempts.

While Knox’s shooting was also inconsistent during the preseason, his form is strong and he has a soft touch.

Outlook

With Porzingis limited to just 48 games last season, the Knicks won 29 games. Each of those numbers will likely end up in the same range this season. Unless Knox has a Donovan Mitchell-esque season, New York won’t have the go-to scorer to make a serious run at the playoffs. A win total in the high 20s seems most likely for a roster that lacks star power without Porzingis.

Enes Kanter and Tim Hardaway should each put up nice stats with increased roles, but the Knicks are going to be seriously challenged on both ends of the floor this season. They finished 18^th in scoring last season and 20^th in defense. Outside of Knox, they didn’t add any players that will be able to contribute immediately.

It will be another long winter on the court for the Knicks, but there are legitimate reasons to believe that the front office has them on the right path. While it’s far from guaranteed, even the possibility of a Durant-Porzingis-Knox frontcourt is tantalizing to think about. Hell, even a Porzingis-Knox duo is better than most of the Knicks have had this century.

Be patient, MSG faithful. Your time might actually be here in the near future.