RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson

It’s no secret that over the last 20 years New York Knicks fans have little to nothing to look forward to. From the failed Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire experiment to the mishandling of Kristaps Porzingis (Who was supposed to be our franchise star), I think it’s safe to say the last few years as a Knicks fan has been nothing but darkness and disappointment. But in the darkness, there is a light, that light being 22 years old Mitchell Robinson and 20 years old RJ Barrett. When Mitchell Robinson stepped into the league in 2018 he showed what he was capable of as soon as he received consistent minutes, flashing his elite shot-blocking potential and seemingly his ability to catch any pass thrown his way. Now RJ Barrett hasn’t shown nearly as much as his counterpart Mitchell Robinson has shown, however, in the games he’s been hot he has displayed his all-star potential with his ability to get to the rim at an elite rate and his playmaking potential. These 2 young players have led Knicks fans everywhere to believe that they are the future of our franchise so as you can believe it was a major sigh of relief when Leon Rose our newly hired president of basketball operations referred to them as “Two young, core pieces”.

The Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox situation

What many consider 2 of the biggest failures of the Steve Mills era Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox. When the New York Knicks drafted Frank Ntilikina 9th overall in the 2017 NBA draft fans were reasonably optimistic due to his ability to play in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. However, 3 years and 3 different head coaches later Ntilikina in my eyes has been one of the biggest Knicks disappointments of the last decade. Despite Ntilikina not showing much offensively he has shown his insane defense with highlights after highlights of him locking up some of the league’s best guards. Unlike Frank when Kevin Knox was drafted 9th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft most fans immediately rejected him with most of the fanbase fancying Michael Porter Jr who was later drafted by the Denver Nuggets 14th overall. In the two years, Kevin Knox has been in New York he has been the definition of inconsistency from showing what little potential he has in his rookie year to fans wanting him on the Westchester Knicks in his sophomore campaign he simply has not been consistent. After last season fans all around the globe have been wondering what the future holds for both Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox in New York with Leon Rose commenting on both of them on last night’s interview saying ” Frank Ntilikina, given the right circumstances, I think can really prosper” and ” I look forwards to working with Kevin. I think he’s just starting to scratch the surface”.