The Knicks may have made a mistake missing out on Ben Simmons.
Ben Simmons joined has officially joined the Sacramento Kings and will be rejoining the NBA world after taking a season off, but the Kings weren't the only team interested in the once-star guard.
The New York Knicks were reportedly "in the mix" for Simmons as well and looking at hwere the Knicks are at this point of the offseason what their most critical roster needs are, missing out on Simmons may be something that comes back to haunt the Knicks later on down the line.
The one thing that the Knicks need more than anything else is size. They're still in need of two more centers to be comfortably deep at the position and their power forward depth isn't much better.
New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek (13) looks to drive past LA Clippers guard Ben Simmons (25) in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Wendell Cruz-Imagn ImagesSize and Defense
Simmons may be listed as a point guard and seemingly not fit the bill for the Knicks need, but Simmons is also 6'10 and was a premier defender in the NBA once upon a time.
With him on the roster, not only would the Knicks have a major defensive asset on the roster, but they would also have options in their rotations to utilize Simmons' size to the best of their ability.
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons (10) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesIf they wanted to force the issue of playing Simmons out of position, he could be an effective forward, even if he doesn't exactly have the necessary physicality to play the five, but any way of having more options in the frontcourt is a good thing for the Knicks at this point.
Experimenting With Guards
But if they didn't want to take the risk of throwing Simmons off by playing him out of position, they could also have run with a three guard rotation, something that could work with Josh Hart playing a swingman role, or by bringing Landry Shamet on the floor alongside Simmons and Jalen Brunson.
RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks tries to knock the ball away from Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden on March 21, 2021 in New York City. Elsa/Pool Photo-USA TODAY SportsAdding the size and defense of Simmons to that kind of scheme would do wonders for the Knicks and especially for Brunson, lending someone to his aid that could give him support and prevent him from having to fight so hard for all of his shots.
Simmons has spent a year away from basketball and was declining quickly before that, so missing out on him is also missing out on a gamble for the Knicks, but even with all of the talent that they already have on their roster, adding someone with Simmons' potential and versatility is never a bad thing and he could have gone a long way in making New York even better.
