Skip to main content
All Knicks

Knicks Just Got a New Center to Keep Tabs on Thanks to Pacers' Mistake

The Indiana Pacers may have helped the Knicks in their pursuit of a backup center.
Joseph Randazzo|
The Knicks could now shore up their center situation thanks to the Pacers.
The Knicks could now shore up their center situation thanks to the Pacers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the New York Knicks search high and low to add more depth at center, the Indiana Pacers waived Micah Potter this week in what looks to be a financial move more than anything else.

On Friday, the Portland Trail Blazers claimed Potter off of waivers, which blocked a potential signing from the Knicks' side.

However, Potter moving to a new team introduces the possibility he doesn't carve out a home there, which could allow New York to add him down the line, whether he's cut again or available via trade for the right price.

After all, the Blazers are a roster in flux and that's rapidly changing, so they could change their mind in the coming months, so Potter's early days in PDX bear monitoring from Leon Rose's perspective.

Micah Potter could fit in extremely well with Knicks' new center rotation

The center, who previously played for the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons, just enjoyed his best year at the pro level. Potter notched career highs in ppg (9.7, more than double from his previous best of 4.3), rpg (5.0) and games played (47). Notably, he excelled beyond the arc, shooting 42.3% while taking 3.6 attempts a night.

The advanced metrics support Potter as a solid rebounder, which is something the Knicks desperately need to figure out after losing out on Mitchell Robinson. According to Basketball Index, he ranked in the 85th percentile for Defensive Rebounds per 75 Possessions and the 72nd percentile for Offensive Rebounds Per 75 possessions.

He was solid at snagging rebounds on free throws as well. Potter was in the 73rd percentile when grabbing defensive rebounds during free throws. He was in the 89th percentile for offensive rebounds.

Potter fits exactly what the Knicks are looking for by filling out their roster with cost-effective moves. The signings of Jordan Clarkson, Andre Drummond, Landry Shamet, Mohamed Diawara, and Jose Alvarado all cost the Knicks a total of only $17.5 million.

Whether this is enough after losing Robinson remains to be seen. Few were better at securing boards on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball than he was, and even with the signing of Drummond, that's something they'll likely have trouble doing at the rate they did with their veteran center heading to Boston.

They already missed out on the three-time champion Kevon Looney after he signed with the Lakers.

Robinson averaged 8.8 rebounds a game last year, and the hope is that they can at least get close to that, even if they can't replicate what he did.

Potter can be one way to make that happen in the aggregate, while also raising the offensive ceiling at the position and bringing some of the KAT role to the second unit or even filling in for the All-Star big man when needed.

However, he's now someone the Knicks will have to wait for another chance at scooping up, rather than being able to lure him as a free agent. Still, he should be relatively cheap to acquire if Rose wants to put one of the second-round picks he acquired during the draft to use.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published | Modified
Joseph Randazzo
JOSEPH RANDAZZO

Joseph Randazzo covers both the New York Knicks and Yankees for On SI. He has a passion for New York sports, having spent many years listening to WFAN, reading local columnists, and learning the craft of storytelling across various media. He understands full well the expectation that comes with covering these teams.