Okay, let’s talk about that 2017 Knicks lineup. Someone brought it up the other day, and man, it sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole trying to piece it back together in my head. It’s funny how some seasons stick with you clear as day, and others get real hazy, real fast. This one was kinda leaning towards hazy for me initially.
Digging Through the Memory Banks
So, I sat there for a minute, trying to pull up the starting five, or even just the main guys who got heavy minutes. My first thought, instantly, was Kristaps Porzingis. Yeah, KP. That was peak Unicorn hype time, right before… well, you know. He was the centerpiece, the guy everyone was pinning their hopes on. Had that crazy start to the season scoring-wise.
Then my mind went to, who else was actually running with him? I remembered Tim Hardaway Jr. came back that year. Got that big contract, which definitely raised some eyebrows at the time. He was supposed to be the second option, I guess. He had some moments, but consistency was always the thing.
After those two, it got a bit trickier. I started thinking about the point guard spot. That felt like a revolving door, didn’t it? For some reason, Jarrett Jack popped into my head. He ended up starting a lot, yeah. And Ramon Sessions was there at the beginning. Then there was the rookie, Frank Ntilikina. Lots of defensive potential, but offensively raw. Man, the point guard situation felt like a constant shuffle.
Who was playing center? Willy Hernangomez was gone by then, right? Traded mid-season? Ah, no, wait. Enes Kanter! That’s right. Came over in the Carmelo Anthony trade right before the season started. Dude was a walking double-double, but defense wasn’t exactly his strong suit. Him and KP had that weirdly effective offensive thing going on sometimes, though.
Putting the Pieces Together (Sort Of)
So I started mentally listing them out, trying to get the main rotation guys:
- Porzingis (before the injury, obviously)
- Hardaway Jr.
- Kanter
- Courtney Lee was still around, providing some veteran stability. Solid player.
- Jack / Ntilikina at point.
- Michael Beasley! Almost forgot about Beas. He had that stretch where he was just getting buckets off the bench. Classic Beasley.
- Lance Thomas, always brought the defense and hustle.
- Doug McDermott was there for a bit too, before getting traded, I think.
Looking back, it just felt like another one of those Knicks seasons. Started with some hype, especially around Porzingis playing like an MVP candidate early on. There was that brief flicker of “Maybe…?” But then reality kinda set in. Injuries happened, inconsistency was everywhere, and the direction felt murky. It wasn’t the worst Knicks team ever, not by a long shot, but it definitely wasn’t going anywhere special either. It just… was. Another year hoping for a corner turn that didn’t quite come.
It’s kinda wild trying to piece these rosters together after just a few years pass. Shows how much turnover there can be, and how quickly things change in the league. That 2017-18 season feels like a lifetime ago in Knicks-land, honestly.
