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There have been a lot of positives from the New York Knicks' season and a lot to look forward to for the franchise's fanbase. Tom Thibodeau led a team who hadn't made the NBA playoffs since 2013 and turned them into a winning organization for the first time since then.
Julius Randle turned into an all-round powerhouse on the court and made his All-Star debut in March. Rookies Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quikeley impressed tremendously while veteran guard Derrick Rose was unstoppable at times, particularly in the postseason.
It's in the postseason where we begin with this article and the underlying issues the New York Knicks had during the regular campaign that became clearer in the playoffs.
Five negatives to take away from the New York Knicks' season
With attention now switching back to the illustrious franchise, players will be keen to come to the Big Apple and Madison Square Garden could become a fortress once again. The Knicks' front office will be keen to make several offseason acquisitions to help bolster the roster and make a return to the playoffs.
Although they finished with a winning record, there are always areas to improve and players that can be brought in. Let's dive into what went wrong for the New York Knicks in an otherwise very positive season.
#1 Julius Randle's postseason slump
There's no doubting that Julius Randle was one of the breakout stars of the 2020-21 NBA campaign. He averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds with a shooting split of 45-41-81 and won the award for most improved player.
However, in the first postseason of his career and with the onus on his shoulders to carry the Knicks, Randle's output fell, providing just 18 points per game and shooting at 30% from the field. In game three on the road, the 26-year-old connected with just two of 15 field-goal attempts, registering his lowest tally of the series with just 14 points.
Randle can be forgiven due to the importance placed on him and the fact that, among other players, he was entering uncharted territory in the playoffs. Knicks fans can be safe in the knowledge that his All-Star ability will be back next year with greater experience of how to lead a team in both the regular season and whatever comes after.
#2 Lack of playoff experience
Considering the fact the New York Knicks had a postseason hiatus, their roster had little playoff experience. Beyond the Knicks' young core and Julius Randle, there were few players who would play against the Hawks who could say they had considerable postseason knowledge, except for Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose.
Although that was ultimately part of their downfall in the series, getting to the playoffs was a major step for the New York Knicks and could help to re-create a winning culture at the franchise. The Boston Celtics have solidified their position as regular contenders in the postseason and have made the conference finals in three of the past five seasons. Prior to that, they had been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for three out of four years, with them failing to qualify in the other.
#3 Lack of offensive threat
Aside from Derrick Rose in game three, no other Knicks player had a game of 30 points or more in the series. In fact, there were only five 20+ point performances from a New York player across the five games. When starters are regularly scoring single-digit points or none at all at times, and your opponent scores more than 100 points in four of the five contests, it is extremely difficult to win a ball game.
The New York Knicks hadn't been a prolific offensive side throughout the regular season, averaging just 108 points per game. However, along with Randle's struggles, the rest of the roster shot poorly too (except for Derrick Rose) in the postseason and was barely able to put up 97 points a night in the series.
Looking ahead to the offseason, the Knicks front office needs to bring in another offensive creator in the backcourt and some wing shooters to take this team to the next level.
#4 Inability to control Trae Young in the playoffs
While there was a lot to like about the New York Knicks' defense in the opening two games of the series, they were still unable to control Trae Young. The Knicks harried the ball and forced turnovers, but ultimately it was the diminutive guard who stole the show in the big lights of Madison Square Garden.
Against one of the stiffest defenses in the league, Young was still able to average 29.2 points and 9.8 assists while being able to shoot at 44% from the floor. The Knicks also sent him to the line over seven times per game where he made over 90% of attempts. Shutting down Young should have been the New York Knicks' no.1 priority, however he had free rein throughout the series and had three games of 30 points or more.
#5 Not making home court advantage matter
Madison Square Garden is the mecca of NBA basketball, though it has lost its threatening edge and electric atmosphere over the last eight years as the Knicks struggled to put a winning season together. That soon changed this campaign as fans flocked back to the Garden to finally cheer on a team with grit and a desire to succeed.
MSG was packed to the rafters and made a deafening noise in all three of the home games the New York Knicks had in the series. However, they lost two of their matchups at home, narrowly in game one but then by 14 points in game five in which Trae Young bowed to the crowd as the villain of the Knicks fanbase.
Fans will continue to make MSG a daunting environment if the New York Knicks continue to be a winning side next year and qualify for the playoffs. However, the team needs to make it count. Not every player will be able to play in such a hostile arena and perform as well as Young did and that is what they must prey off of in the future.
