NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: RJ Barrett poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted with the third overall pick by the New York Knicks during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The New York Knicks had quite a busy offseason.
First they drafted RJ Barrett.
Selected third overall by the New York Knicks’ in June’s NBA Draft, Barrett posted 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while at Duke University.
Some peg RJ Barrett as a potential NBA Rookie of the Year.
“I’m definitely going for rookie of the year for sure,” Barrett said earlier this summer.
Barrett played well in his final three games of the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Barrett averaged 19.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in his final three games out in Las Vegas.
New York signed Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Marcus Morris, Taj Gibson, Elfrid Payton, Wayne Ellington and Reggie Bullock this offseason.
“I want to be Sixth Man of the Year,” Bobby Portis told Regal Radio’s Josh Hicks.
“That’s always been my goal. I set that goal last year and I’m going to achieve it this year. I’ve been working very hard on my game. Trying to maintain my offense game and expand it. This is going to be a great season for me.”
In stints with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards last season, Portis averaged 14.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game; all career highs.
Portis’ ability to stretch the floor from positions 3 to 5 is vastly underrated. He shot a carer 36% from downtown and in fact, during his brief stint with the Wizards last season, he shot 40.3 percent from the 3-point line in only 28 games.
The Knicks already had Allonzo Trier, Mitchell Robinson, Dennis Smith Jr. and Kevin Knox on their roster.
Sure, the Knicks didn’t sign Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant this summer.
Knicks’ Kevin Knox & RJ Barrett dont care about the Brooklyn Nets & getting Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant has added fuel to the fire.
But the Knicks are still motivated to exceed expectations.
“Like [coach David Fizdale] told us all in a group message, put your head down and just go out and play hard for one another,” Kevin Knox told me Monday.
“That’s kind of been our motto this whole summer.”
NBA Hall of Famer, Walt “Clyde” Frazier tells me that he sees the Knicks exceeding expectations.
“Well a lot of people say they don’t, but I like their chemistry and the players they have,” Frazier, a two-time NBA Champion told me this week in our one-on-one interview.
“I eluded to the fact that they have to play defense man that’ll make a difference for them. I don’t think offense will blow people out but if they play very tenacious defense they can be successful.”
The New York Knicks begin training camp later this month. The regular season begins next month.