The president of the Heat, Pat Riley, said more than 20 years ago: "The ideal basketball of the future has no position, it is composed of five players with well-rounded skills and a height of two meters, and they can attack and defend freely." ”
This quote also reflects the importance of the striker.
A few days ago, the Knicks sent five first-round picks and Bojan, got the Nets' small forward Bridges, and formed the Villanova four.
At the same time, he also reached a five-year, $212.5 million contract extension with the team's small forward Anunoby, which is also the largest contract in Knicks history.
In an instant, the Knicks surpassed the former Clippers and Raptors and became a veritable forward team. (Hart can also play 3)
Bridges, who came from 3-and-D background, has skyrocketed in ball possession (30.3%) after being traded from the Suns (19.2%) to the Nets, and has played for the U.S. team in the '23 Men's Basketball World Cup, and his ball-handling ability has improved significantly.
Moreover, Bridges also has the "durable" attribute that Thibodeau likes, and he has started four consecutive seasons since the 2020-21 season, with 72, 82, 83, and 82 full attendance, and is the active No. 1 Iron Man. His presence is a comprehensive upgrade to the Knicks' outside offense and defense.
Anunoby played in 23 regular season games for the Knicks last season, averaging 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, and averaged 15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in nine playoff games. It can be from one to four.
When Anunoby and Bridges play together, encountering teams with insufficient forward talent or short can cause opposition suppression; And when encountering a team with a small forward, you can use the wheel battle to take turns.
After two operations, the Knicks' books are as follows: Brunson + Bridges + Anunoby + Hart + Randle + DiVincenzo + Mitchell Robinson, all under the age of 30, and this set of core teams with a full No. 3 position basically ensures competitiveness in the next three to five years.
Last season, thanks to Brunson and a bunch of remnants, they reached the Eastern Conference semifinals to tie seven. With the return of Randle, who averages 24 points per game in the future, and the addition of Bridges, the Knicks' roster thickness is actually fully competitive at the Eastern Conference level.
The bookies even updated their odds to win the championship for the new season, with the Knicks skyrocketing to +750, tied for second place with the Nuggets behind the Celtics.
This shows the importance of the front line.
In recent years, as the small-ball style of play has been pushed to a new level in history by the Warriors, those forward players who can play inside and out, both offensively and defensively, and have a good sense of passing will be reused.
This style of play is characterized by the small mobility of the players, the pursuit of the ultimate offensive efficiency on the offensive end, and the infinite change of defense on the defensive end. The most important thing to do is to have one or three players with a lot of offensive and defensive talent, and to do that, the players are generally not much different in size and have extremely blurred positions.
That's what this Knicks are going to look like.
If you want to stack the offensive rounds to play a small lineup at the decisive moment, Brunson is responsible for cutting points, and Anunoby, Bridges, DiVincenzo, and Hart are lined up.
If you need a high battery and a rim guard, Randall and Robinson are ready to fight. Especially Miro's appearance, the defense is pressing, and the coverage area of the stadium is enough.
All in all, it's already a team that looks very competitive. It would be even better if Randle, who didn't match the team's style, could be upgraded.