Kelly Oubre Jr. will fill an immediate role
The New York Knicks lacked playmaking in the playoffs. They were taken to the cleaners by the Atlanta Hawks who were one game away from sweeping the higher seed.
New York relied on Julius Randle and their defense for most of the season, and when he struggled, they didn’t have many other answers. Derrick Rose did his best, but they still fell well short of taking down the talented Hawks.
While Oubre Jr. may not star power that they need to really transcend up the Eastern Conference, he is a great third or fourth option. Oubre Jr. averaging 18.8 points per game during his last season with the Suns and notched 15.4 per game with the Warriors.
He’s far from reached his ceiling as well. The Knicks would have to decide if either Oubre Jr. or RJ Barrett could slide to the small forward position, but the duo should be able to play well with Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and Rose in the lineup.
Oubre Jr. would also help space the floor for Randle and Barrett, two players that are excellent at getting to the rim. The young guard made 1.6 threes per game last season. While he shot just 31.6 percent from deep, there should be hope that he can improve on that.
Overall, Oubre Jr. would provide solid playmaking the Knicks desperately need.