The season began as “developmental” for the New York Knicks, and once upon a time, a lineup of Enes Kanter, Lance Thomas, Frank Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke opened as the starters. Outside of Ntilikina, that did not seem “developmental,” especially when Mitchell Robinson and Damyean Dotson did not play, and Kevin Knox suffered an injury.
Fast forward to the first game of 2019, and four of those five players have taken reduced roles.
Kanter has bounced between the starting lineup and a reserve role, which he unwillingly made room for Luke Kornet.