When it comes to the New York Knicks, things really have not gone their way lately and there hasn't been much for the team and its fans to smile about. That notion became even more of a nightmare scenario last night when All-Star power forward Kristaps Porzingis tore his left ACL against the Milwaukee Bucks. According to a tweet on Wednesday from team beat reporter Ian Begley of ESPN, the Knicks (23-32) could focus more on giving more minutes to their younger players like guards Frank Ntilinkina and Trey Burke for the remainder of the season.
“In the wake of the devastating Porzingis news, members of the Knicks organization discussed the idea of playing young players like Frank Ntilikina & Trey Burke more often for the rest of the year, per sources. It’s unclear at this point if that’s the definitive plan going forward,” Begley said.
As a rookie taken with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the 19-year-old Ntilikina is currently averaging 5.2 points, 3.3 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in only 20.0 minutes of action per contest.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Knicks were finalizing a trade to send center Willy Hernangomez to the Charlotte Hornets for Johnny O’Bryant and two future second-round picks, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.
Begley also said that the Knicks are still looking to move m0re of their other players, as well. This includes the likes of center Kyle O'Quinn, guard Courtney Lee, and veteran center Joakim Noah before Thursday afternoon's trade deadline hits. With last night's 103-89 loss to the Bucks, the Knicks dropped their fourth straight contest and are now five games out of the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.