Toronto Raptors will look to dominate season series against New York Knicks
Raptors defense vs. Knicks offense
New York will likely struggle defensively against the Raptors. Offensively, they don’t project to be much better.
With Kristaps and Kanter in the low post, New York does have the ability to score in the frontcourt. For all his flaws, Kanter is a tactician on the low block. Last season he averaged 14 while maintaining an effective field goal percentage of 59.2-percent. No matter who the Raptors place on Kanter, he is likely to “get his” to some extent.
Porzingis will also be a problem. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby at power forward simply don’t have the size to matchup with the 7’3″ Porzingis. No one does.
Luckily for Toronto, that’s where New York’s offensive advantages end. On the perimeter, New York will rely on aging veterans, rookies, and recycled second contract players.
The Knicks biggest struggles will come at point guard. Allonzo Trier has been a revalavtion of some sorts. 10 games into his career, it’s too early to speculate whether he can continue this success. Even if he can, he’s not on the same tier as the Raptors lead guards.
The roster behind him only brings more questions. Frank Ntilikina showed real defensive potential in his first season. Offensively, not so much. He looks more like a shooting guard than a primary ball-handler, and unless he makes major strides in his second season (which are entirely possible as a 20 year-old), he will need to be paired alongside another traditional point.
Trey Burke had a career resurgence at the end of last season, but numbers for a tanking team in March don’t equate to numbers when the games matter. With a healthy point guard lineup, New York has decided to largely pull him from the rotation.
That brings us to Emanuel Mudiay. The Knicks took a gamble on Mudiay at the end of last season, hoping a change of scenery could fix some bad habits. That gamble doesn’t appear to be paying off. Mudiay has tanked almost every offense he has been a part of, and if he is part of the Knicks rotation next season, you can expect more of the same.
On the wings, New York has a couple of options that could be the 8th or 9th man on a competitive squad. When Toronto throws defenders like Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard on the court, expect them to be a forgotten last resort.