Evaluating New York Knicks offseason additions so far this season

The New York Knicks are emerging as one of the NBA's most formidable teams, winning five of their last six games with impressive performances across the board. With several new additions in the offseason, here’s a closer look at how each signee has fared roughly 20 percent into the season.

Cameron Payne

Cameron Payne was a late addition to the roster after the team had already carved out a solid rotation, with the expectation his playing time would come if a rotational gap occurred. Having done well with the Philadelphia 76ers last season, the Knicks were intrigued by his versatility and what he could bring to a lineup that looked rather thin due to injuries from key role players.

Payne has been a juggernaut off the bench, tallying double-digit scoring in seven of his fourteen regular season games. His 43.9 percent 3-point shooting is the stat that fans have been paying attention to after the team lost Landry Shamet due to a dislocated shoulder in the preseason and Deuce McBride for five games after a left hamstring injury, providing some much-needed bench scoring for a team that ranks 29th overall in that category. While his usage might see a decrease as the team expects key pieces in the rotation to return to the court, Payne has been the ideal backup for Tom Thibodeau, showing off his skillset on both the offensive and defensive side of the court.

Mikal Bridges

It seems to be a constant theme for this season's scriptwriters that Mikal Bridges receives much of the blame for why the Knicks are only three games above .500. After being acquired for Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, and five first-round picks Bridges got to play alongside his Villanova teammates in Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson, further building on the overall team chemistry and adding to a dominant starting five.

Bridges’ change in attitude going from the first scoring option in Brooklyn to the Knicks' fourth is seemingly forgotten amongst fans given his decrease in points, rebounds, and assists per game. He might not be the primary ball handler but instead is trusted to score off the catch-and-shoot to relieve the pressure off his teammates, having scored double-digits in 15 out of 17 games played. While many like to highlight his poor shooting from beyond the arc, his overall field-goal percentage is up from last season and has only shot under 40 percent five times this season.

Despite the casual fan expecting more production out of Bridges his impact as a defender but also a scorer will pay dividends due to his active streak of games played, helping the Knicks throughout the season. For now, it just gives the team another option on offense to lean toward if another starter isn’t clicking.

Karl-Anthony Towns

In one of the most shocking offseason trades, the Knicks decided to ship fan favorites Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns, an All-Star center who would complete the ultimate death lineup in New York. The team simply traded for an All-Star stretch center who could score at any given moment, and he’s proven to live up to those expectations.

Towns is currently leading the Knicks in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 26.3 points and 12.6 rebounds across 16 games proving why his offensive swiss-army knife approach is working on a team full of scoring options. While many are going to highlight his lack of defense, Towns is currently shooting a career-high from the field (54.8 percent) and from 3 (47.1 percent), stats that are key to the Knicks finishing fourth in team scoring.

His offensive outbursts have been a key reason why the Knicks are finally finding their rhythm as of late, continuing to be efficient night in and night out. Having previously played under head coach Tom Thibodeau, Towns understands what is needed from the orchestrator of the team in a year where the Knicks are highly projected to make a postseason run.