Coming off another terrific showing that saw them eliminated in seven games during their second round matchup with the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks looks primed for another deep playoff run.
Not only did they bring back AND Anunoby on a five-agreement this offseason, but they also added another piece to the Nova-Knicks, acquiring Mikal Bridges in blockbuster business with the Nets.
New York also suffered a huge blow to their starting lineup, however, when they lost a center Isaiah Hartenstein on a three-year deal where the Thunder are coming off their breakout campaign.
The Knicks would love to keep Hartenstein around after he dominated on both ends of the floor in place of the injured. Mitchell Robinsonbut there was ultimately too much money to be made on the open market.
So now head coach Tom Thibodeau and the front office finds itself searching for answers on how to replicate that production as we get closer and closer to the start of the season.
Robinson is back healthy and will re-enter as the starter, but he has dealt with injuries throughout his career, and Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims there are relatively unreliable backups behind him.
New York has had talks with other teams about possibly bringing in another option, according to SNY’s Ian Begleybut nothing happened to this point with only a few weeks after the training camp.
As a result, Thibodeau told NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner that we could see Julio Randle taking some of the minutes behind Robinson at center to start the season.
“We will look at different things because we have versatility,” he said. “We could see Julius more at the 5. I don’t want to do it for long stretches, it would take its toll, but for him to do it for 10 for 15 minutes, I think he can do it well.”
Up to this point in his career, Randle has spent the majority of his time at the power forward position, but having him slide down occasionally could be extremely effective for this new-look group.
If that’s ultimately a path the Knicks decide to go down, Thibodeau believes the 29-year-old All-Star will be able to make the transition seamlessly.
“Julius has adapted to whatever challenges he faces,” he said. “People forget the level he played at. Four years ago, he had a monster season and we didn’t have the shooting that we have now, so the floor will be open more.
“We started to see that in January, people forget he was 25 years old, a 10-and-5 guy. He’s enjoyed a lot of success and he’s been a big part of winning the last four years in New York.”
