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New York Knicks: 5 questions at the season’s quarter mark

By Jonathan Macri

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3,Frank Ntilikina #11 and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks react in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on November 13, 2017 in New York City.The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks 104-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3,Frank Ntilikina #11 and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks react in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on November 13, 2017 in New York City.The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks 104-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 13: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3,Frank Ntilikina #11 and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks react in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on November 13, 2017 in New York City.The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks 104-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 13: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3,Frank Ntilikina #11 and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks react in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on November 13, 2017 in New York City.The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks 104-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

The New York Knicks are off to a 10-10 start, so that’s…something. Here are the 5 biggest questions facing the team as they pass the season’s 20 game mark

We’re a quarter of the way into the season and the New York Knicks have vacillated between an unexpected surprise and everything we thought they would (or wouldn’t) be.

Pegged with an over under of 30.5 wins, New York’s 10-10 record puts them on pace to blow that number away…until you realize they’ve played nearly two thirds of their games at home and benefited from a three week stretch when their 22-year old wunderkind played like a league MVP instead of a third-year player still coming to grips with being not only the focal point of an offense but the sports darling of the biggest city in the world.

Overall, even with three blown 20-point leads on the ledger, plus ugly recent losses to the Hawks and Blazers that screamed “Same Old Knicks,” fans should be pleased with the start.

No, Porzingis is not yet ready to assume the mantle as the league’s premier offensive player, but he’s quashed any doubts about whether he can be a franchise cornerstone – still the Boardwalk of NBA Monopoly.

In the supporting actor category, Tim Hardaway Jr. could save Manhattan from an alien invasion and still wouldn’t be able to live up to his contract in the eyes of some, but that’s fine; he looks to have picked up where he left off in Atlanta and seems perfectly comfortable as a secondary scorer and creator on offense. Frank is 19 and looks 19 on most nights, but has shown serious defensive chops and enough offensive flashes for everyone’s Dennis Smith nightmares to stop, at least for a bit. The rest of the roster – with one notable exception who we’ll get to in a bit – has either maintained or increased their value as movable pieces.

Most importantly, the cloud that has hovered over this franchise for the last three seasons seems to have moved on. A sustained bout of losing would put that to the test, but the team usually plays hard, defends with urgency, makes plays for each other, and no longer quakes under the aura of a superstar heavy on gravitas but low on accountability. In short, the kids are alright.

So with that backdrop, here are our top five questions heading into the rest of the season and beyond.

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