The New York Knicks have gradually added young talent to their core in recent years. Landing the no. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft helped to gain a talent like the recently re-signed RJ Barrett, but there have been many more successes.
The addition of Jalen Brunson in free agency has undoubtedly offered the Knicks’ core a boost, as the former Dallas Mavericks joins a group that already featured young, intriguing talents like Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, and Mitchell Robinson.
Sports Illustrated’s Michael Shapiro recently ranked the NBA’s best young cores. For a team to be included, it must have four players who meet the following qualifications:
- Under 27 on opening night (Oct. 19) with at least one previous All-Star appearance
- 25-and-younger with All-Star potential (up to discretion)
- 23-and-younger players with 20-plus career win shares, per Basketball Reference
- 2020, 2021, and 2022 lottery rookies
- Players with an exception to these semi-arbitrary rules (Grant Williams and Isaiah Stewart, among others)
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The teams ruled ineligible due to not meeting the criteria include the 76ers, Blazers, Bucks, Bulls, Clippers, Heat, Hornets, Lakers, Mavericks, Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, Jazz, and Wizards.
The Knicks’ core ranked 14th overall out of the 16 eligible teams. A critical factor in how things will play out will be the trade talks for Donovan Mitchell. It’s possible that some of those young players are sent in a trade package — diminishing their ranking.
Perhaps the most interesting yield from Shapiro’s list is how Cam Reddish is considered by many to be a high-upside player but was not included in the notable players list. It’ll be interesting to see how he ends up panning out given it wasn’t easy for him to gain opportunities from head coach Tom Thibodeau after coming in from Atlanta.
There is also the factor of how Julius Randle is in front of Toppin on the depth chart. If that were to change in the event of a trade, Toppin would certainly put up substantially greater stats and the Knicks’ core would most likely rank higher.
Brunson should take a step forward in his production in a larger role than what he had with the Mavericks. Barrett is also a candidate to take a leap forward in his natural progression as a high-level young player. But the rest of the group’s progress will be important to watch as the Knicks enter the last stanza of their seemingly eternal rebuild.
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