3 things that will thrill Knicks fans once All-Star break concludes

spark that he&#8217;s provided</a> off the bench and in the clutch for the Knicks thus far has been a huge boost. He&#8217;s started out so well with the team that fans have started to think about him potentially sliding into the starting lineup in place of a player like Quentin Grimes, who was going through a shooting slump before the break.</p> <p>Hart was a great pickup for New York, especially when you consider that the top player that the team had to give up was Cam Reddish. He hadn&#8217;t played in over two months before being traded, so Reddish had turned into a non-factor anyways. The Knicks gave the Trail Blazers a protected first-round pick, but if Hart can keep it up, that pick won&#8217;t matter much to fans.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/23/3-things-thrill-knicks-fans-all-star-break-concludes/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;A huge interior defense boost </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_139851" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/23/3-things-thrill-knicks-fans-all-star-break-concludes/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2023/02/19796097.jpeg">returns from the break</a>.</p> <p>Last week, SNY&#8217;s Ian Begley <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/23/3-things-thrill-knicks-fans-all-star-break-concludes/2/"https://twitter.com/IanBegley/status/1625269045661425664" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Robinson had been making progress in his rehab but hadn&#8217;t been cleared for contact yet. Begley added that the Knicks were planning to send people with Robinson over the break so that he could continue his rehab. Based on his social media activity, it seems as if Robinson had a low-key break spent with his family and friends.</p> <p>The good news is that Robinson practiced on Wednesday, but his status for Friday&#8217;s game is still undecided. New York has a tough stretch of games coming up that Robinson may or may not be available to play in but hopefully he&#8217;ll at least be back in time to play on the Knicks&#8217; road trip out West. Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims have been holding down the fort without Robinson, but it&#8217;s impossible to replace the defensive presence and rebounding abilities that he possesses.</p> <p>When he&#8217;s cleared to play, Robinson will be key for New York&#8217;s playoff push.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/23/3-things-thrill-knicks-fans-all-star-break-concludes/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;What fans want most </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_139852" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/23/3-things-thrill-knicks-fans-all-star-break-concludes/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2023/02/20003667.jpeg">remain in the top six</a> (which won&#8217;t be an easy task), the team will earn a playoff berth without being part of the play-in tournament. Even if the team slips down the standings a couple of spots, the Knicks should still be able to make their way to the play-in.</p> <p>After an eight-year drought, Julius Randle led New York back to the playoffs in 2021. He&#8217;ll have the opportunity to do the same between now and the end of the season. He&#8217;s back in the spotlight as an All-Star and All-NBA level player and on top of that, Jalen Brunson has been the team&#8217;s best free agent signing in a <em>long</em> time. Remember what he was able to accomplish for the Mavericks in last year&#8217;s playoffs?</p> <p>The Knicks may be without the star player that the front office has been collecting first-round picks for, but this is still a special team. Even without a player like Donovan Mitchell, the Knicks have managed to prove that they&#8217;re a team that needs to be taken for real.</p> <p>While the play-in tournament is a very attainable goal for New York, it wouldn&#8217;t be surprising if the team secured a top-six spot in the conference. Brooklyn is currently No. 5 and will likely drop down the standings a bit after losing both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. If the Knicks can stay on the path that they&#8217;re on, MSG will be electric come April.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="J4UpM7l9ha"><p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/23/3-things-thrill-knicks-fans-all-star-break-concludes/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/22/4-eastern-conference-rivals-knicks-finish-standings/">4 Eastern Conference rivals Knicks should finish over in standings</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/23/3-things-thrill-knicks-fans-all-star-break-concludes/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/22/4-eastern-conference-rivals-knicks-finish-standings/embed/#?secret=J4UpM7l9ha" data-secret="J4UpM7l9ha" width="500" height="282" title="&#8220;4 Eastern Conference rivals Knicks should finish over in standings&#8221; &#8212; Daily Knicks" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div><!—pageview_candidate—>">