NBA Fantasy Preview 2021-22: New York Knicks

Julius Randle (Google Images)

In a 30-part series leading up to the start of the 2021-22 National Basketball Association season, we will take a look at each NBA franchise from a fantasy perspective. The 20th team we will review is the New York Knicks.

The biggest question surrounding the New York Knicks coming into the 2021-22 season is how much of a chip on his shoulder will star big man Julius Randle play with after a bizarre Olympic snub in the summer? Despite being the best American power forward/center in the NBA, Randle was not part of the United States team that won the Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.

Randle’s statistics speaks for themselves. Last year he was the second best power forward and center in the NBA. In having 2718 fantasy points*, Randle had a field goal percentage of .456, a free throw percentage of .811, 1727 points, 723 rebounds, 427 assists, 64 steals, 18 blocked shots, and 241 turnovers. The only center/power forward who had more fantasy points last year than Randle was reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, who had 3198 fantasy points.

The other Knicks option in fantasy is Canadian swingman R.J. Barrett, who is 12th among small forwards and 13th among shooting guards. With 1933 fantasy points last year, Barrett had a field goal percentage of .441, free throw percentage of .746, 124 three-pointers, 1264 points, 414 rebounds, 217 assists, 53 steals and 139 turnovers.

Despite winning an Olympic silver medal with France in Tokyo this past summer, Evan Fournier only played 42 games last season with the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics. If you are looking for a Knicks swingman, I trust Barrett more than Fournier.

Meanwhile, at point guard, Kemba Walker is joining the Knicks after eight seasons in Charlotte and two seasons in Boston. Last year Walker had a drop  in his production, as he did not average 20 points per game for the first time since 2014-15. Keep that in mind when you consider drafting him.

*Please note: To calculate NBA fantasy points for point guards, shooting guards and small forwards, I use the formula (3PTM+Points+Rebounds+Assists+Steals-Turnovers). For power forwards and centers, I use the formula (Points+Rebounds+Assists+Steals+Blocks-Turnovers).

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