Knicks Praise Growing for Stellar Offseason

The New York Knicks have had a dynamic offseason, losing Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Alec Burks to the Miami Heat in free agency, but adding Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster trade from the Brooklyn Nets.

Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey gave all 30 NBA teams a grade for their offseason, and the Knicks were one of the few teams to receive an “A” for their efforts.

“The New York Knicks probably overpaid for Mikal Bridges. In a vacuum, he’s not the kind of player who should go for five first-round picks and a first-round pick swap,” Bailey writes. “With him, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and the recently re-signed OG Anunoby, New York has tons of length, athleticism and defense to throw at opponents. That’s the right kind of supporting cast with which to surround Jalen Brunson, who signed a team-friendly extension of his own this summer. … New York certainly got closer to a championship this offseason.”

The Knicks will have to adjust to life without Hartenstein, but they already have an in-house replacement for him in Mitchell Robinson, who started at center for the Knicks before he injured his ankle and needed surgery. If Robinson can fill in the shoes that Hartenstein left in New York, the Knicks should be just fine.

Robinson and Hartenstein are similar players, but the latter proved to be a fit smoother than butter once he was acclimated into the starting lineup. That isn’t to say Robinson can’t be a good fit, but the Knicks center will have to be better than where he was before his injury.

The Knicks’ expectations are simply different now after last season, and the moves they have made this summer reflect a team that is attacking their contending window and chasing a championship next season.

While the Knicks are closer to a championship than when they were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, they still have a long way to go, and the team is going to have to improve gradually throughout the year in order to be on top next June.

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