The New York Knicks‘ frontcourt may bear a different look when the club returns to the court next season. Despite the fact that pivot-man Mitchell Robinson had another strong year as a rim-runner and paint protector, team president Leon Rose could let him walk in free agency if his price gets too high.
And Robinson might be eyeing new digs regardless of what New York plans to offer him.
Meanwhile, former All-Star power forward Julius Randle took several backward steps in 2021-22 after having carried the Knicks to the playoffs the prior year. And his backup, Obi Toppin, made a serious case for a bigger role down the stretch.
While fans are practically frothing at the mouth to see more of Toppin, the team could look elsewhere to freshen up their starting frontcourt. To that end, one hoops scribe sees potential in a reunion with a certain ring-bearing floor-spacer.
B/R: Knicks an ‘Ideal’ Landing Spot for Bobby Portis
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey looked at all the top players hitting the open market this summer and attempted to identify the best situation for each. In examining the future of Bucks F/C Bobby Portis, who has a player option for next season, he ultimately landed on the Knicks as the best possible spot.
Wrote Bailey:
If Mitchell Robinson leaves this offseason (more on him later), the New York Knicks should consider a completely different type of center this offseason.
Julius Randle recently refuted reports that he wants a trade, and if he’s still there, New York needs a shooter at the 5 to offset Randle’s dreadful jump shooting (his 2020-21 looks like a dramatic outlier now).
Over the last four seasons, former Knick Bobby Portis has averaged 12.5 points and 1.4 threes while shooting 40.0 percent from three.
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Portis Has Grown by Leaps & Bounds
Portis was more or less the player the Knicks expected him to be during his sole season in the Big Apple, averaging 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per contest and hitting 35.8% of his triples. Since joining the Bucks, though, he has been on a solid upward trajectory.
The 27-year-old was a key cog in Milwaukee’s title-winning effort in 2020-21, showing incremental improvement as a scorer and rebounder while shooting a career-high 52.3% from the field and 47.1% from three-point range.
And while those percentages have come back down to earth a bit, Portis still had the most productive year of his career this season. In 72 games, 59 of which were starts, he averaged 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds, both of which were career highs.
Moreover, the Bucks were 7.5 points per 100 possessions better when he was on the court compared to when he sat. For a team like New York that was loaded with negative impact players in ’21-22, he could make for an intriguing addition.
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