Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks 2019-20 season preview
Knicks offseason changes
The loudest strikeout in New York this summer was when the Knicks could not lure Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to Manhattan and watched them land on Long Island with the Brooklyn Nets.
New York became a joke as they signed power forward after power forward. One by one they lined up Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis and Marcus Morris as their key free agent signings. They have a veteran presence in the locker room to pair with such a young roster.
Randle, 24, has been productive on the offensive end, scoring a career high 21.4 points per game last season and shooting a career-best 34.4 percent from 3-point range. His true shooting percentage is over 60 percent the last two seasons and his Player Efficiency Rating has risen from 16.3 in his third year to 19.9 in his fourth and was 21 last season with the New Orleans Pelicans (15 is league average PER).
light. Related Story. Grading the Pistons 2019 offseason moves
Former Pistons wings Wayne Ellington and Bullock were brought in to provide leadership on the wing.
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The Knicks also have a logjam at point guard and will need to make a decision on Frank Ntilikina (their eighth overall pick in 2016) and Dennis Smith Jr., who are both third-year players. Then there’s sixth-year veteran Elfrid Payton, who has started 295 of his 342 career games. Don’t forget about second-year guard Allonzo Trier, who has had his moments at point guard but is probably best suited off the ball.
New York has a nice young core with Mitchell Robinson at center and wings Kevin Knox and RJ Barrett, the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. It could be another year of maneuvering with some of the aforementioned players but this is the core, with Randle, that will lead the next wave of Knicks playoff appearances, so fans hope.
The average age of the Knicks is 26.1, which is older than the Pistons, but New York’s core is compiled of players 24 or younger. They’ll have athletic strengths against a lot of teams but will have to find a way to win games together.
Let’s dive into how the teams stack up against each other.