3 Burning Questions Knicks' Preseason Finale vs. Raptors Might Answer

Anyone expecting the New York Knicks to come out like gangbusters in their title defense this preseason may be a bit disappointed.

Through four preseason games, the Knicks sit at 0-4, fresh off a 148-98 shellacking from the Toronto Raptors on a second night of a back-to-back (they do that in preseason?) in which all of the Knicks’ starters sat.

Though it may feel disappointing to some, this also shouldn’t be too surprising: the last official games the Knicks played were all-out, heart-in-your-throat, white-knuckle-ride Finals games to seal a championship. That was less than three months ago. Now, much of the same group is returning to the court, trying to find their rhythm and pace. It may take a while for the Knicks to find it, and a slow start is understandable.

That said, with one final preseason game remaining, and six days to go until the highly anticipated Ring Night, there are a few interesting plot points to monitor for the Knicks. Here are three questions we’re hoping get answered in the preseason finale.

1. Which of the training camp invites will make the final roster?

The Knicks have a single roster spot to offer one of James Wiseman, Tony Bradley, Drew Eubanks, Bruce Brown, and Ochai Agbaji. Unless the team trades Pacome Dadiet (who is not exactly lighting it up in preseason) to make room for two players, it stands to reason that one of the centers will make it.

Wiseman has made a compelling case. He had a solid preseason debut against the Philadelphia 76ers and enjoyed his best performance of the preseason on Tuesday, scoring 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go with 10 rebounds while getting the starting nod. Of course, that Wiseman put up a solid stat line in a game the Knicks lost by 50 doesn’t exactly sway critics of his NBA career so far. Still, of the group, Wiseman offers some upside that may intrigue the Knicks.

Wiseman is not the only center to get some shine, however. Bradley got an extended audition in Monday’s preseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and also looked solid, scoring 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting in seven minutes. Meanwhile, Eubanks seems to be in third place in the race.

As intriguing as it is to add a proven veteran like Brown or a wing with some upside like Agbaji, it would be too risky to enter the season with only two centers on the roster. If Karl-Anthony Towns or Andre Drummond were to get hurt in the first week, the center depth would be a legitimate emergency.

Will Game 5 of preseason be one last final audition for all three?

2. Can Mohamed Diawara gain some momentum heading into the regular season?

Diawara has been written about extensively in this space. The 6-foot-9 second-year wing enters the season facing expectations from Knicks fans after a promising, albeit limited, rookie year. Diawara may not project as a high-level starter, but if he can become a reliable seventh/eighth/ninth man off the bench, giving the Knicks some quality reserve minutes on the wing, it would be a huge win for New York.

Thus, Diawara’s preseason has been a bit of a disappointment. Four preseason games is a tiny sample to judge, but Diawara doesn’t appear to be materially better at much. Over four games, Diawara has made 9 of 20 shots (he only took one attempt in two of the games), going 3-of-11 for three. He has four assists to six turnovers and 11 personal fouls and zero free throw attempts. He has had some nice defensive moments, but others where he’s been blown by.

Diawara has at times looked passive, just as he did his rookie year. Given that he signed a four-year contract this offseason and seemingly has a foot in the door for a rotation spot, it would be nice to see Diawara look more aggressive and try more things while the games don’t count.

However, Tuesday’s loss was Diawara’s most encouraging game from an offensive standpoint. He finally got some threes to go down, and he showed some aggressiveness pushing the ball in transition. And keep in mind, Diawara sat for most of the Knicks’ playoff run—it will take him awhile to find his rhythm at the NBA speed again.

That sets up Thursday’s preseason finale as an important one for Diawara. Hitting some shots, making some plays, and playing solid defense would almost certainly give him some confidence heading into the regular season and it would ease some anxiety amongst Knicks fans.

One gets the impression that Diawara will still see rotation minutes to start the regular season, regardless of how the preseason goes, but his leash may be a tad longer if he finishes the preseason strong.

3. Will the Knicks rev it up in their final run-through?

This is a pretty broad one, but it’s the question that hangs over the first few weeks of the season: How ready are the Knicks to run it back?

The Knicks face a different type of challenge this season: they will be the NBA’s hunted. They’ll do so while turning around after a short and exhausting summer full of celebrations, media appearances, and off-court obligations.

Mike Brown and Co. know they’ll need to pace through the regular season to be fresh for the playoffs. But in a deep East, they can’t afford to pace too much. Teams will give the Knicks their best shot on most nights. With the new draft lottery reform, there will be fewer tanking teams, and thus, easy wins (not that last year’s Knicks enjoyed many of those anyway). Going too easy in the regular season could suddenly put the Knicks in danger of falling out of the top four in the standings as the playoff race nears.

But as mentioned up top, it will be an understandably difficult task for the Knicks to get back on the court and find their regular season rhythm. The last games they played were as intense as the sport gets. The regular season doesn’t demand that level of intensity, preparation, or execution, but it demands some—certainly more than the Knicks have shown in the preseason.

Knicks fans shouldn’t fret about the preseason (the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are also a combined 1-7). But it will be interesting to see if the Knicks’ starters and bench players rev it up just a little bit in the preseason finale, just to prepare for next Tuesday, when a lot of eyes will be on them and the new-look 76ers as a new championship banner is unveiled.

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