After a slow start to the season (5-5 in their first 10 games), the New York Knicks have found their groove and are now one of the top teams in the NBA (36-18 as if this writing). That’s in part to their core five of Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby all having great seasons. Unsurprisingly, four of the five are featured in this fantasy insider draft of the Knicks.
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Your Main Man: Karl-Anthony Towns
If being a main man (in real life and in fantasy) were all about who scores the most, then Jalen Brunson should be the pick here. But we need more than just a bucket-getter here, especially in leagues where each point counts only as, well, one point. Not that Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t a walking bucket because he is: 24.7 points a game isn’t too shabby. And he can drop a 40-piece just as easily, too!
KAT can also do a lot of everything, especially rebounding. After 49 games this season, Towns is grabbing rebounds at a career-best rate, collaring 13.4 a game for second overall in the NBA. Add to that 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks and you have a fantasy stud.
Surefire Studs: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart
Brunson’s 26.1 points and 7.5 assists alone make him main man material. But with KAT having such a great season, he gets pushed down just a bit to the surefire stud tier. And we’re putting him here even if he’ll likely come at a hefty price just because Tom Thibodeau keeps his rotation short and plays his best five guys tons of minutes. The left combo guard is averaging 2.8 boards and 0.9 steals as well.
Hart, meanwhile, is the kind of value-adding role player any team would covet—in real life or in fantasy. He is a do-it-all connector averaging 14.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.4 blocks. His seven triple-doubles this season is proof of his versatility, while his season-high 40 just this February is a testament that he can also be a bucket-getter. Plus, he almost always plays a ton of minutes!
Low Cost, High Value Picks: OG Anunoby, Mile McBride
Anunoby has settled in nicely in New York as a wing stopper who can drop 20 a night. His stats—16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.9 blocks—prove as much. Those stocks (steals + blocks) are particularly valuable in some leagues that put a premium on blocks and steals. The best part is that he’s part of the Knicks’ core six and plays 36.3 minutes a game.
McBride is one of the rare bench players Thibodeau actually plays (23.2 MPG), and he is certainly making do with those minutes. In 44 games as of this writing, McBride is putting up 9.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and nearly a steal per game. That’s not much in a vacuum, but when you consider you’ll need KAT and Brunson at the top of your Knicks fantasy lineup, those numbers for a low-cost pick would do.
