Official '24-'25 knicks season thread, Hukporti 2 yrs

[keko jones]

always been a fultz fan but his situation is wildly different from RJs

he’s already shed the expectations of being the top pick plus overcome crazy physical and mental hurdles

he should be praised for being wheres he’s at but RJs time in the league so far has really been a cakewalk by comparison

what has he had to overcome?
he’s tripping over himself at this point

Overcome not being the 1st option ... what his been all his life.

Just saying ....

I'm not making excuses, but again, he is a volume shooter that is used to the offense running through him .... now he has to get shots (limited shots at that) by throwing anything up. What does anyone expect? this is what you get.

No way, someone looked at RJ and said "Dude is efficient " "Dude has a nice shot" .... it has always been - dude is a winner, he will his teams to win etc.

 

[floodarea]

Overcome not being the 1st option ... what his been all his life.

Just saying ....

I'm not making excuses, but again, he is a volume shooter that is used to the offense running through him .... now he has to get shots (limited shots at that) by throwing anything up. What does anyone expect? this is what you get.

No way, someone looked at RJ and said "Dude is efficient " "Dude has a nice shot" .... it has always been - dude is a winner, he will his teams to win etc.

overcoming not being the first option on a basketball team is something literally every single NBA player has had to go through at some point so no way i’m giving him any pass on that

he’s had four years to overcome that if that’s his issue

he can’t shoot
he can’t finish
putrid defender

running set plays for him isn’t going to change any of that

he’s also still averaging 16 shots a game only one shot down from last year so i don’t wanna hear that as an excuse either

the fact that he’s not able to thrive with brunson at this point is kind of the writing on the wall for me

in previous years the excuse was always “he needs a pg”

well now we have an all-star caliber pg and he’s having the worst year of his career

where does he go from here??

 

[njavier03]

No one made the excuses that RJ needed a PG bc he would play as a primary ball handler attimes. Comparing having to play with Elf vs having to play with Brunson is completely different. Randle is the one that needed to be checked by a legit PG. when you have 2 guys that dominate the ball, when you’re used to having the ball, you’re going to struggle. RJ isn’t a spot up shooter. He needs rhythm and touches, not picking for scraps when Randle/Brunson don’t shoot. Hella ironic that some that capped for Frank want to dump RJ when he’s shown more in one game than Frank ever has in his life. At this point if RJ can improve his D or even up his efficiency to .45 that’s good enough for now. Averaging 20 as the 3rd option at 22 is a problem that most teams would like to have. Idk what y’all are expecting.

 

[you go boy]

I actually like RJ and don't understand where all the hate comes from... if you comparing him to zion and ja well thats another conversation...those two are better players but clearly we had no shot at getting either one...and his stats are comparable to garland... Hes not consistent but when he has good games he has really good games...unless you can get someone a lot better I see no need to trade him...the players Im thinking are worth trading RJ for is KAT, jaylen brown or siakam... I named these players because they are realistically available...

and frank wasnt even better than toney douglas so ya dont want to hear franks name who was drafted over donovan mitchell who we were supposed to give up the kitchen sink for in a trade when we coulda shoulda woulda drafted him in the first place but didnt smh

 

[airmax1fanatic]

Personally, it's not a matter of "hating" a player, but more of how to improve the team to a championship caliber level. With the current roster, I think most of us would agree NYK are not a championship caliber team yet. Based on RJ's regression (this yr), inconsistent scoring ability, low PER and liability on defense, I think his position could definitely use an upgrade. If we can get a player like Jaylen Brown in RJ's spot, that would be a significant upgrade perhaps even a chance for the championship. And again, imagine if we had Mitchell instead of RJ, most people would agree that the NYK would be at least an eastern championship contender.

 

[floodarea]

No one made the excuses that RJ needed a PG bc he would play as a primary ball handler attimes. Comparing having to play with Elf vs having to play with Brunson is completely different. Randle is the one that needed to be checked by a legit PG. when you have 2 guys that dominate the ball, when you’re used to having the ball, you’re going to struggle. RJ isn’t a spot up shooter. He needs rhythm and touches, not picking for scraps when Randle/Brunson don’t shoot. Hella ironic that some that capped for Frank want to dump RJ when he’s shown more in one game than Frank ever has in his life. At this point if RJ can improve his D or even up his efficiency to .45 that’s good enough for now. Averaging 20 as the 3rd option at 22 is a problem that most teams would like to have. Idk what y’all are expecting.

wtf frank got to do w anything man

frank was never making 22mil a year either

y’all love to bring him up at the weirdest times for no reason

basically everyone getting real minutes on this team recently been eating except him

at what point do you say yeah this dude is just mid

 

[njavier03]

bc you were banging on the table for 4 years saying that all Frank needed was an opportunity. he has and always has sucked. yet you try to trash the best player we've drafted in how long? at least RJ has shown that he's capable.

he's 22 not 32, so idk how you think that he's already reached his prime and wont progress any further. thats what doesnt make sense. he's the 3rd option and gets no plays ran for him. other than Garland and maybe Poole, no one drafted after him is better.

his FG% is the same as Trae Young and he doesnt play D either. is he mid also? his efficiency definitely needs to be higher and he needs to put more effort on D for sure, but to say he's mid at TWENTY TWO is dumb.

 

[keko jones]

Man ...

Whatever ...

I'm not def nor I'm discarding RJ. For decades we have has drafted kids, not developed them and sent them away. I was very happy to see RJ, Mitch, etc get paid with the Knicks after with us. Were they a great investment? The jury is still out. Luckily for both ... Brunson and Co. have masked (maybe worsen) their deficiencies.

Do I want them to succeed, hell yeah but who knows.

All I know is that we don't need every player to be a killer. . We just need them to play their part. RJ needs to do better period but is he a bust? He already made the playoffs being #2 .. he is making the playoffs again. It will be 2 playoffs in 4 years, no matter how you slice it ... its ok for now.

 

[8pm at msg]

RJ was never going to be a superstar. He had limitations that were obvious to see from day 1. However he had his positives, mainly being a hard worker and not shying away in tense moments.

The biggest problem is the lack of adjustment and constant slow starts on both a small and large scale. I have no idea what he does in the off-seaon but the one thing that would do wonders for him is a consistent shot. Aside from year 2, his shooting numbers are always below 43% FG and 34% 3PT. He's shot under 74% from the line twice. Something's not clicking for him.

Playing with two ball dominant guys is a learning process and Thibs doesn't do him any favors but some things are just natural...if you see an opportunity cut to the rim. Get open. Make the right pass. Keep your man in front of you. Those are the basics and he doesn't do them.

He has time but how much time are you willing to allow him, especially if the team continues to move forward? A decision will have to be made eventually.

 

[donewithjs]

Question of the day. Not ****ting on no one either:

What NBA player wouldn’t average 20ppg if they got the Green light to take 16-17 shots a game?

(Knew someone in the League a few years ago and he straight up said “given the opportunity and Green light almost any NBA player can drop 30 on any given night and average 20 a game, if given the opportunity”).

 

[floodarea]

bc you were banging on the table for 4 years saying that all Frank needed was an opportunity. he has and always has sucked. yet you try to trash the best player we've drafted in how long? at least RJ has shown that he's capable.

he's 22 not 32, so idk how you think that he's already reached his prime and wont progress any further. thats what doesnt make sense. he's the 3rd option and gets no plays ran for him. other than Garland and maybe Poole, no one drafted after him is better.

his FG% is the same as Trae Young and he doesnt play D either. is he mid also? his efficiency definitely needs to be higher and he needs to put more effort on D for sure, but to say he's mid at TWENTY TWO is dumb.

bruh i called frank trash so many times during his tenure but you run w that selective memory to fit your argument every single time

all you’re doing is making comparisons that don’t correlate at all in an attempt to prop up RJ

“RJ isn’t bad because look at how trae young is doing”

who ******* cares what trae young is shooting
who ******* cares what garland and poole are doing

how does that relate to the knicks
they not on the payroll

how about you try defending his actual game

you say calling him mid is dumb but haven’t complimented his game at all since you started tryna defend him

“he can’t shoot and is *** on defense but he’s not mid you’re crazy”

yeah no **** he has to be efficient and defend well so does every single nba basketball player

give me a ******* break

 

[airmax1fanatic]

For those that want to keep RJ (who will be the 2nd/3rd highest paid player on the roster next year), what moves would you make to upgrade the roster? Or do you just wait year(s) until RJ reaches his "prime"?

 

[keko jones]

For those that want to keep RJ (who will be the 2nd/3rd highest paid player on the roster next year), what moves would you make to upgrade the roster? Or do you just wait year(s) until RJ reaches his "prime"?

I'm all for trades that are going to help the team. For that reason no one is safe. With that said, what moves are you making ...

Please don't say Levine becauze I seen you screaming for him.

 

[airmax1fanatic]

I said Levine out of frustration d/t RJ's poor performances but obviously I agree, he's not the best replacement for RJ in the starting line up and d/t his max salary contract. Perhaps a player like Jaylen Brown who can play on and off the dribble would be a great replacement. Obviously, he will come at a big cost but a trio of Brunson, Randle and Brown has far more potential than Brunson, Randle and RJ.

 

[donewithjs]

I’m calling Toronto and seeing about an RJ for OG swap and some other pieces/picks.

 

[ballinsam23]

RJ is a volume scorer. You still need 3 players that can get their own and score in the playoffs.

If RJ stinks it up this year in the playoffs, or his play doesn’t contribute to winning, im all for a trade. He is who hes going to be at this point.

 

[Spectacular23]

We here baby,

 

[pr0phecy718]

You only bet $5? Put more lol

 

[pr0phecy718]

 

[Spectacular23]

You only bet $5? Put more lol

I’m rooting for him but I see his competition, $5 is the most

 

[nick.]

 

[keko jones]

Oh snap ... I think he legit has a chance!

This ks a weak *** 3pt contest class. Wtf .... maybe they apprise me.

 

[jayocampo]

Mannnn thinking about it, if Randle had peaked a year earlier, we would've drafted haliburton instead of Obi lol.

 

[keko jones]

Getting clowned on national TV ...

 

[pr0phecy718]