Coming off another terrific showing that saw them eliminated in seven games during their second round matchup with the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks are looking primed for another deep playoff run.
Not only did they bring back OG Anunoby on a five-deal this offseason, but they also added another piece to the Nova-Knicks, acquiring Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster trade with the Nets.
New York did also suffer a huge blow to their starting lineup, however, as they lost center Isaiah Hartenstein on a three-year deal with the Thunder coming off his breakout campaign.
The Knicks would’ve loved to keep Hartenstein around after he dominated on both ends of the floor in place of the injured Mitchell Robinson, but there was ultimately too much money to be made on the open market.
So now head coach Tom Thibodeau and the front office find themselves looking for answers on how to replicate that production as we draw closer and closer to the beginning of the season.
Robinson is back healthy and will slot back in as the starter, but he’s dealt with injuries throughout his career, and Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims are relatively unreliable backups behind him.
New York has had talks with other teams about potentially bringing in another option, according to SNY’s Ian Begley, but nothing has transpired to this point with just a few weeks left before training camp.
As a result, Thibodeau told Steve Aschburner of NBA.com that we could see Julius Randle taking on some of the minutes behind Robinson at center to begin the season.
“We’ll look at different things because we have versatility,” he said. “We could see Julius more at the 5. I don’t want to do that for long stretches, it would take its toll, but to have him do it for 10 for 15 minutes, I think he can do it well.”
Like Robinson, Randle is coming off season-ending surgery, but he’s expected to be fully cleared to return to action by the time training camp rolls around later this month.
The three-time All-Star has spent the majority of his time at power forward to this point in his career, but Begley recently indicated that he’s open to whatever role the Knicks may decide to throw his way.
If that is ultimately the route they decide to go down this season, Thibodeau thinks that the 29-year-old All-Star would be able to make the transition seamlessly.
“Julius has adapted to whatever challenges he’s faced,” he said. “Four years ago, he had a monster season and we didn’t have the shooting that we have, so the floor is going to be open more, we got a glimpse of that in January. He’s enjoyed a lot of success and he’s been a big part of winning the last few years in New York.”