Knicks at Spurs
The New York Knicks went into the offseason with lofty goals of signing big-name free agents and perhaps gaining the top overall pick in the NBA draft, none of which came to fruition. Instead, the worst team in the NBA last season will forge ahead with a mix of imported veterans and young talent, beginning with a visit to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in the opener for both teams.
New York struck out on free-agent stars such as Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard and failed to score prize rookie Zion Williamson in the draft, but coach David Fizdale sees the current collection of players as a much more solid unit than the 17-win squad of a season ago. "I don't have a gauge or number, but I do think this team can be a lot better," Fizdale told reporters. "I just think we got a good mix of talented players. The guys all add a different skill set that we didn't have before." While New York is trying to rebuild and end a six-year playoff drought, the Spurs are trying to avoid slipping too far down the Western Conference after their second straight first-round playoff exit last spring. They agreed to a deal with veteran forward Marcus Morris this offseason before he backed out to sign with the Knicks in a move that San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said "blindsided" his team, adding a bit of intrigue to the opener.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), KENS-TV (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (2018-19: 17-65): Morris is one of a handful of quality free agents the organization brought in after missing out on the premier talent, a group led by forwards Julius Randle and Bobby Portis. Rookie forward RJ Barrett was taken third overall and joins a collection of young talent that includes second-year center Mitchell Robinson (6.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game last season), second-year forward Kevin Knox (12.8 points) and third-year guard Dennis Smith Jr. (14.7 points, 5.4 assists in 21 games with New York in 2018-19). Smith is part of a muddled point guard situation that sees him vying for playing time with Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina.
ABOUT THE SPURS (2018-19: 48-34): LaMarcus Aldridge led San Antonio in scoring (21.3) last season with DeMar DeRozan (21.2) close behind, and the latter shattered his previous career high in assists with 6.2 per game in his first season with the Spurs. The team added veteran defensive standout DeMarre Carroll and will welcome back point guard Dejounte Murray, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. Murray, who was an All-Defensive team member in 2017-18, is part of a young and talented backcourt mix that includes Lonnie Walker, Derrick White and Bryn Forbes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Spurs legend Tim Duncan is back with the organization as an assistant coach.
2. Ntilikina averaged 5.7 points while shooting just 33.7 percent in an injury-plagued 2018-19.
3. San Antonio's 22 straight playoff appearances is tied for the longest in NBA history.