CP is back to bring you another installment of the Knicks 2021-22 Season Preview with Alex Trataros and special guest Julito McCullum.
The guys had a new set of Knicks players to preview, this episode included Mitchell Robinson, Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes and Julius Randle. The guys also paid tribute to the late Michael K. Williams who unfortunately passed away earlier this week.
Click the links below to catch the full show on all major podcast platforms.
Here’s a breakdown of the show:
Mitchell Robinson
Robinson had a disappointing 20-21 season in many respects. He missed quite a lot of time during the season through a hand and a foot injury. Nerlens Noel’s performance during Robinson’s absence also lead to his stock dropping and him losing some leverage in contract negotiations. Nonetheless, Robinson will be looking to have a breakout season entering his fourth year in a contract season.
All the guys agree that they are looking for Robinson to take that next step in his game. The biggest concern that they have is his mentality. Is he mature enough to be a consistent player on a good team? This is a sentiment that was reported to be echoed in the front office and one to keep an eye on.
The addition of Kemba Walker and the return of Derrick Rose has the guys hopeful that he will be able to take his game to the next level having such a drastic improvement on the guard spot from what has previously played with in his career.
Evan Fournier
New signing Evan Fournier is a very interesting part of the upcoming season. He should add some much-needed scoring and playmaking to take the load off of Julius Randle and Rj Barrett. This was one issue that became highlighted during the first-round playoff loss against the Hawks.
Julito is excited to about the Fournier addition. He’s confident that he can be a problem on defense for the other team even if he doesn’t get a stop. He’s excited that Fournier is joining the Knicks because he truly wants to be here. If you’re going to win a championship in New York, the only way to do it is with players who buy-in to the culture. Fournier appears to be all-in.
Furthermore, the guys are excited to see him reunited with Kemba Walker who he played with in Boston and built a great relationship. Alex even talks about the episode of KFTV Court Vision which took a look at the chemistry between the two. The guys are all excited to see him take a lesser role with the team. In Orlando, Fournier was asked to be a number one or two option. Despite his great play with France in the Olympics in a larger role, the guys feel Fournier is best suited as a third or fourth scoring option.
Quentin Grimes
The Knicks’ only first-round pick, Quentin Grimes, showed flashes of great play during the Summer League despite having some tough games. The 25th pick fit the archetype that Coach Thibodeau was looking for – athletic wings that can defend and shoot. They got their man after trading back for Grimes.
The verdict on Grimes was unanimous, he has the talent to be effective in the NBA but he will be struggling to make an impact this season due to the depth the Knicks have a the wing position. The guys believe that Grimes will see very little playing time unless a bad injury hits the team. Despite this, they believe that he will be ready if he is ever called upon and is a reliable guy. His maturity and locker room presence has all of the guys believing that he will be sticking around for a long time and he will eventually get his chance.
Julius Randle
2020-21 NBA Most Improved Player Julius Randle was the last player to be discussed. Randle has just agreed to a four-year, $117 million extension with the Knicks which keeps the All-star with the Knicks franchise for the foreseeable future. It also gives the New York some flexibility to build a competitive team around him.
Julito started it off with an official apology to Randle. He admits he was too critical of the former Kentucky man in his first season in New York and is beyond grateful for his contribution to this team now. There’s no aspect of Randle’s game that the guys are looking to improve majorly, as Alex put it “Don’t fix what’s not broken“.
The biggest thing they are looking for from Julius this season is his playmaking, they expect a big improvement in this department now that he has some other players that he can trust with the ball and a point guard that can take the pressure off of him in big moments.
His lackluster playoff performance is not a concern for the guys because many players have had trouble adjusting to the playoff intensity. They expect him to come back even better next playoffs as he will have already experienced the tempo and the pressure needed to win.
Michael K. Williams Tribute
The show was ended with a tribute to New Yorker and Knicks fan Michael K. Williams who sadly passed away last week. Julito, who had previously worked with him, gave a heartfelt tribute to Williams which is best heard from him in the full episode.
Let us know what your expectations are for the above Knicks players heading into next season in the comments below! Be sure to stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors and recaps heading into the 2021-22 season!
In case you missed it, catch Knicks Fan TV’s previous episode of 2021-22 Player Expectations below!
