Predicting Knicks' Breakout Players for 2022-23 NBA Season
If the New York Knicks hope to make the most of the 2022-23 NBA season, they'll need a good chunk of this roster to exceed expectations.
Fortunately, this locker room is littered with players who appear to be at least several stories beneath their ultimate ceiling.
While no internal growth is outright guaranteed, the following three players look like good bets to break out over the upcoming 82-game marathon.
RJ Barrett
Ever since being nabbed with the No. 3 pick of the 2019 draft, Barrett has loomed as New York's best bet for finding its next star.
Now, he could scratch that itch one of two ways. The simplest would see him elevate his own game to an All-Star level. The more complicated path would entail flashing enough potential at the right time to serve as the centerpiece of the Association's next blockbuster swap.
Either way, the Empire State needs him trending toward, or at least hinting at, stardom. He can make that happen this season.
Simply balancing his gains from the past two seasons might do the trick. In 2020-21, he made serious strides with his efficiency by shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from three. Last season, those shooting rates fell, but he defended better than ever and averaged an even 20 points for the first time.
If he can maintain his volume production and defensive effort while elevating his shooting rates, he'll have an outside shot at securing his first All-Star nod already this season.
Jalen Brunson
If you're under the impression that Brunson already broke out last season, the Knicks would like to respectfully disagree.
They didn't lure him to the Big Apple on a nine-figure contract for him to provide 16.3 points and 4.8 assists per game.
Clearly, they think he has another level he can reach, and they might be right. After all, last season was his first as a semi-regular starter, and he still spent much of the campaign in Luka Doncic's shadow. It wasn't until Doncic missed time in the opening round that Brunson really started spreading his wings, which yielded 27.8 points per outing on 48.4/36.4/84.6 shooting over the course of that series.
While his mouth won't be the only one to feed on the offensive end, he won't get lost in the shuffle the way he sometimes did with Doncic. The Knicks don't have anyone who dominates touches that way, and in fact, Brunson has a decent chance to pace them in usage—and maybe points and assists, too.
Obi Toppin
It's been two years since the Knicks spent the No. 8 pick on Toppin, and they still haven't solved the puzzle of finding him floor time in a crowded frontcourt.
We regret to report we don't have the secret fix here, we just know New York needs to find ways to play him.
By the way, that's not an anti-Julius Randle take—though, we could get to that point if the start of his season looks like the end of the last one—but simply a pro-Toppin one. He produces whenever his number gets called, and his play often suggests that stardom is coming as soon as New York removes his training wheels.
For his career, his per-36-minutes averages include 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 threes and 0.9 blocks, per Basketball-Reference. That might actually undersell his potential, as he averaged a robust 24.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.1 threes and 1.1 blocks when logging 30-plus minutes last season. The Knicks need to see what he can do with a substantial role because it just might be something special.