2015-16 NBA Season Preview: New York Knicks

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New York Knicks

2014-15

Offseason Roundup

• Re-signed Lou Amundson to one-year, $1.7-million contract
• Re-signed Lance Thomas to one-year, $1.6-million contract

Projected Starting 5

• PG Jose Calderon
• SG Arron Afflalo
• SF Carmelo Anthony
• PF Derrick Williams
• C Robin Lopez

MVP

Hobbled by a knee injury that limited him to a career-low 40 games before undergoing season-ending surgery, and hampered by the worst team in the Knicks' 69-year history, Carmelo Anthony struggled through one of the worst seasons of his career last year.

Still, there's no question Anthony remains the most valuable Knick. Even as his numbers regressed, the 2014-15 Knicks were the most Melo-dependent of any Anthony-led team, performing 9.3 points per 100 possessions better with their All-Star on the court.

The Knicks added talent in Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo, and finally invested in their future by drafting Kristaps Porzingis, but Melo is still the man in Gotham.

Without a first-round pick next summer, New York needs Anthony to round back into form and lead it to postseason contention once again. That's easier said than done, however, considering we're talking about a 31-year-old with nearly 33,000 minutes already under his belt, coming off knee surgery.

Breakout Player

Porzingis may be the future, but look for Kyle O'Quinn to pleasantly surprise Knicks fans this season.

O'Quinn didn't make much of a mark during three seasons in Orlando, averaging roughly five points and four rebounds in 15 minutes per game, but the 25-year-old has quietly developed into a solid NBA big man.

He's managed to cut down on the foul rate that plagued him early in his career, taking a more measured approach that hasn't hindered his rim protection - he's one of 19 players to post a block rate of at least 4.5 percent over the past three seasons - and he's slowly expanding his range on the offensive end.

O'Quinn won't post eye-popping numbers, but he should establish himself as a valuable member of a Knicks rotation that fancies itself a playoff contender.

Season Expectations

The Knicks should expect to be better, based largely on the fact that winning even a quarter of their games would be an improvement over last season's tire fire - how much better is the million-dollar question.

If Melo is back to anything even resembling peak form, Lopez and Afflalo play up to their usual standards, and Porzingis and the role players chip in anything at all, it's not hard to see this team fighting for one of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spots.

On the other hand, even in the weak East, a 20- to 25-win improvement will still be required for the Knicks to end their two-year postseason drought, and it's arguable that every other Eastern lottery team (save for maybe the Sixers) is better than it was six months ago.

Knicks fans should feel better than they did then, but a playoff trip is far from assured.