2018-2019 NBA Previews – Knicks Odds
Looking for 2018 New York Knicks Predictions? We’ve got your back. New York finished last season 29-53, finishing 11th in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. But their season was really defined by Kristaps Porzingis’ injury. The Unicorn fell to a torn ACL and was lost for the year, and the team will now be without its only real star for an undetermined amount of time.
New York Knicks Season Preview
Head Coach: David Fizdale
2017-18 Record: 29-53
Knicks Odds to NBA Title: +40000
Knicks Odds to Win Conference: +8000
Updated Sportsbook Bonuses For Today
Click here for ALL of our 2018 Team By Team NBA Season Previews
New York Knicks Strengths:
Nobody’s going to confuse the Knicks for a championship contender this season. In fact, the more losses the better as far as fans are concerned (and quietly, the front office probably agrees). The ultimate goal this year is to develop young talent and collect ping pong balls for lottery positioning.
But the young talent is a bright spot that will make this team worth watching.
Check out the free sports picks from Cappers Picks experts today!
Starting with Kevin Knox, the Knicks will have a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate if he can live up to his Summer League expectations. Knox, the ninth pick in June’s draft, will have to earn that recognition with players like DeAndre Ayton, Trae Young, Marvin Bagley and Luka Doncic being given the spotlight early, but Knox has a chance to take on a leadership role with Porzingis sidelined.
That in and of itself could give him bonus points in the ROY race even if his numbers aren’t as strong as his rookie counterparts.
Beyond Knox, the Knicks will look to further develop Frank Ntilikina. The point guard was a bit underwhelming in Year 1, but the potential is there. Think a shorter, very (very very very) raw Kawhi Leonard. Someone who can create his own shot, create for others and play great perimeter defense.
No, we’re not saying Ntilikina is going to resemble Leonard this season. But we could very well see him break out under a new head coach.
Speaking of a new head coach! David Fizdale is going to be great or this franchise. First and foremost, the triangle is officially gone. But beyond the X’s and O’s, Fiz—despite his bizarre exit from Memphis and relationship issues with Marc Gasol—should be able to command the attention of a locker room.
That’s huge for a young team, and the fact that Fizdale is a defense-minded leader is only going to help New York as it looks to establish an identity.
New York Knicks Weaknesses:
You can’t ignore the Porzingis injury. The young talent on this roster is nice, and it will likely get even better with another lottery pick next season, but a lack of Unicorns is a problem for this team.
[dfads params=’groups=226&limit=1&return_javascript=1′]
Also a concern is the fact that Porzingis’ timeline is unclear at this time. Will he be back by Christmas? The All-Star Break? Will he sit out the season?
The concern here is that with such an undefined timetable, the Knicks could end up making a rushed decision based on their early-season success.
Because let’s face it: The East is wide open. With LeBron James out West and nobody knowing exactly what the tiers of the Eastern Conference looks like, early success could force the team to rush back its star.
And an early-season drought could allow them to take an ultra-conservative approach when a second-half streak could be just what they need.
Basically, this team’s biggest weakness (beyond the X’s and O’s) is that there are too many question marks.
Like we said before: The 2019-20 season will be when we actually know what this group looks like as far as identity and core players go.
Check out the free NBA basketball picks from Cappers Picks experts today!
New York Knicks Betting Prediction: 27-55
When Vegas released its over/under wins projections, the Knicks were set at 29.5. Out East, just about anything is possible. But assuming New York gets off to a slow start and loses interest in winning early, the under is the much safer pick.
2018 NBA Gambling
What do you think about our 2018 New York Knicks predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in the 2018-2019 NBA Season!
The 2018 NBA futures betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on NBA hoops, you are in the best possible place for online betting. CappersPicks.com has NBA odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find weekly NBA basketball lines up for early games as well.
Check out our Updated NBA Betting Odds today! Click to view more 2018/19 NBA Predictions.