The knicks have size and toughness and it has shown up in our rebounding margin, paint defense and overall defense, even going back to last year. Yes they can really shoot too.
Now with the cutting down on phantom fouls we see playing out, this advantage seems to have grown even further. How much is still being determined but at times, it looks like we are watching a different game, thankfully. Guards and some wings have had it too easy and been too dominant in the league. Small ball teams like boston and chicago could not get into a consistent flow against the knicks, stayed away from the middle and could never really get into the flow they wanted.
Players are adjusting to the new rules and those without a counter move will see their effectiveness drop. The only player on the knicks who may be impacted right now is Quickley and it is on him to continue to find ways to stay on the floor. If he can't, ( i think he will), we have in house options with grimes and duece who are more 2 way players at this point.
This has implications across the galaxy as if for example, players like lilliard can only be very good, not all-star players due to the new rules, there is no reason to mortgage our assets. That said, there may be other players that we did not look at previously who might be more attractive...defensive wings for example or balanced ones ( miles bridges for example) . Ironically, letting Frank walk, I know I have to go there, at the time we did was not ideal. He can actually play more D now and even if he does not score consistently, that skill is more valuable in '21 than it has been in any of the years he has been with the knicks.
Drafting could also change and we actually might see big men who can stay on the floor with the d, rebounding, and the occasional dunk get a little more attention, and one trick pony type shooters go down somewhat. I hope it leads to a more balanced set of skills in future nba players and that trickles down to the college game.
Mitch probably gets a bigger contract too, good for him. Stay on your feet big mitch, we need you.
Other than the knicks who might benefit from the new rules? That's a good question, I suspect it will remain the ones who have the most skilled players, have depth and balance, and can bring it on the defensive side. The days of a superstar(s) carrying a team because he can get to the line 20 times a game seem to be over.
