Do the Knicks have enough frontcourt depth for title defense? 3 reasons for optimism

· Yahoo Sports

New York brought back most of its championship roster, but lost backup center Mitchell Robinson. It's a loss for Knicks fans not just because Robinson is an excellent rotation big, but because he was the longest-tenured member of the team. To leave after a title for the rival Celtics just stings.

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But I'm weirdly intrigued by the possibility that New York's frontcourt could end up being even better this year. Here are three reasons why:

As great as Robinson is as a rebounder, Drummond gives the Knicks another elite option on the glass. And offensively, he's a different type of player. He doesn't finish above the rim like Robinson can. But Drummond is a quicker decision-maker as a passer, a far superior free-throw shooter at over 60% in consecutive years, and he has even started to shoot spot-up 3-pointers. Drummond made 32 of his 90 shots from 3 last season, which is an incredible development for a player who was once one of the most hackable players in the league, much like Robinson is today.

(Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

Nobody is confusing Drummond with Karl-Anthony Towns, but these skills give Knicks head coach Mike Brown some extra options with his backup units. Drummond can screen and roll, spot up in the corner or run handoffs. Robinson was more of a run-and-dunk player.

Obviously, Robinson is a way better defender than Drummond. Mitch offered rim protection and he could step out onto the perimeter, like he did late in Game 2 of the NBA Finals to contest a potential game-winner by Victor Wembanyama. But it's not like he was a 30-minute-per-game player. Robinson averaged 13.9 minutes during the playoffs, down from 19.6 minutes during the season. Injury concerns and the challenge of dealing with a player who can't make free throws limited how much Brown could use him.

Drummond won't need to play big minutes either.

Playing through Towns helped the Knicks win a ring. But Brown also leaned on unusual combinations, like in Game 4 of the Finals when he rode Jalen Brunson and Jose Alvarado together during the greatest comeback in Finals history.

Earlier in the season, he closed a win over Philadelphia with OG Anunoby at center against Joel Embiid after Towns fouled out. Brown has never hesitated to do something different, which is why he was hired to replace the always-stubborn Tom Thibodeau. Why not give those looks more time during the regular season?

Let's see a sprinkle more of Anunoby as the small-ball 5. It would let the Knicks switch more screens and put five shooters on the floor.

Let's see Mohamed Diawara playing power forward next to a big. Knicks fans kept quiet online all year about Diawara so his impressive flashes wouldn't enter the NBA discourse. But there's something worth developing in him after he shot 37% from 3 as a rookie, and his 7-foot-4 wingspan gives him versatility on defense.

For that matter, depending on who wins the training camp battle, let's see some James Wiseman or Drew Eubanks in the minutes that the Knicks need some rim-running.

Matching Boston's three-year, $47.4 million deal for Robinson while keeping the rest of the rotation would have pushed the Knicks above the second apron.

Signing Drummond for the minimum allowed them to stay below it while keeping Alvarado, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Diawara. Keeping those guards and wings matters for the frontcourt, since Brown has more shooters and ball-handlers to get creative with lineups that lean smaller.

Leon Rose and the New York front office are betting that those options can make up for what they lost with Robinson. Drummond doesn't need to replace everything Mitch provided by himself. So while Robinson will be missed, I don't think that necessarily means the Knicks are worse.

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