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The 2020-21 NBA season is a few weeks away and training camp is underway. The New York Knicks seem to be trending in the right direction despite having a quiet offseason. The team fired coach David Fizdale early on in 2019-20 with the playoffs well out of reach. Bringing in veteran coach Tom Thibodeau should be a welcomed change of culture on a team that has been undisciplined for a while is seems. Thibs has some decent young talent to develop before the team looks to add a big name in a trade or via free agency in the future. Here we’re going to take a look at the Knicks’ offseason, plus look ahead to the 2020-21 season.
2020 offseason
Key additions
Obi Toppin, PF (draft)
Immanuel Quickley, G (draft)
Alec Burks, G (free agency)
Nerlens Noel, C (free agency)
Austin Rivers, G (free agency)
Key losses
Bobby Portis, PF (free agency)
Damyean Dotson, G (free agency)
Taj Gibson, PF (waived)
2020-21 odds
Title odds: +40000
Win percentage: O/U 31.5
Mitchell Robinson DPOTY odds: +8000
Obi Toppin ROTY odds: +600
2020-21 roster
Depth Chart
PG: Elfrid Payton, Frank Ntilikina, Austin Rivers, Dennis Smith Jr.
SG: R.J. Barrett, Alec Burks, Austin Rivers, Immanuel Quickley, Jacob Evans
SF: Obi Toppin, Reggie Bullock, Kevin Knox II
PF: Julius Randle, Obi Toppin, Kevin Knox II, Omari Spellman
C: Mitchell Robinson, Nerlens Noel, Julius Randle
Roster battles
6th man: Alec Burks vs. Austin Rivers vs. Reggie Bullock
Fantasy basketball
Best Sleeper
Mitchell Robinson — By bringing in Thibs, the Knicks are hoping he can develop Robinson into an elite paint defender. Robinson also has a lot of upside as a rim-runner and finisher down low. He led the NBA in field goal percentage at 74.2 percent last season in 61 games. In a starting role in 2020-21 while playing around 28-30 minutes, there’s no reason Robinson should average a double-double with upside as a blocks specialist.
Likely Bust
Obi Toppin — Before I get into this, let me say that I’m very high on Toppin overall and I think he’ll develop into a solid starter/fantasy asset. In keeper/dynasty formats, I’d look to target him in drafts. Where I’ve seen him ranked in preseason around various websites is puzzling. Sure, he could start and end up being a decent bench spot in fantasy. Does Thibs track record tell us he’s going to trust a rookie in the starting lineup playing 30+ minutes? Absolutely not.