The New York Knicks landed Jalen Brunson as their point guard going forward, but he’s not the only player the team landed this offseason.
After trading Nerlens Noel to the Pistons in an effort to free up cap space for Brunson, the Knicks found themselves in the market for a backup center. They ended up landing former Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein on a two-year contract, so no harm done there as it’s a similar contract.
Something Hartenstein can provide that Noel couldn’t is a shot from deep. While he only launched 30 shots from three last season, he hit 14 of them. Perhaps he could have a green light from deep with the Knicks as he continues to develop that shot.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale is a big fan of the signing, but there’s a major hangup stopping it from being even better and that comes down to how the Knicks use their new center.
Hartenstein Could Fit Well
With Robinson being the starter, Hartenstein will only have to be productive in short spurts, and he seems like somebody who could fit that bill.
However, Favale believes that to only be possible if coach Tom Thibodeau plays him properly. Thibodeau has shown a reliance on veterans, notably Taj Gibson. Gibson managed to remain on the roster through all of the salary dumpings for Brunson, but he’s still a candidate to be traded. If he does remain on the roster, Favale thinks that could lead to issues.
Role clarity is the lone roadblock separating Hartenstein from top-three-signing territory,” he wrote. “The New York Knicks just paid Mitchell Robinson and have Obi Toppin, Julius Randle and Jericho Sims. Taj Gibson survived the team’s salary-dumping extravaganza ahead of Jalen Brunson’s arrival, as well. Yours truly would feel better about moving Hartenstein up the ladder if the Knicks could be trusted to get more creative with their frontcourt rotations and partnerships. They can’t be. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has so far been reluctant to prioritize spacing up front and still can’t quit Gibson.”
Hartenstein has shown, albeit with limited sample size, that he can space the floor, and that would certainly help the Knicks remain competitive. Time will tell what the case is for him.
Playoffs?
Signing Brunson fills a hole the Knicks have had for years now, and if he’s able to replicate the performance he’s shown in the most recent playoffs run, then the Knicks will be looking good.
On top of that, New York will want Julius Randle to return to his All-NBA form to have any chance of making it back to the playoffs and beyond. His contract extension that runs over the course of four years for $117 million kicks in for this season, so he’s getting paid like a true star now.
The same goes for Brunson, so New York will certainly be banking on some of the higher-priced players to step it up. Brunson hasn’t been named to an All-Star team yet, but perhaps playing in the Eastern Conference will give him a better shot at doing so.
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