NBA 2K22 predictions: Ratings of the New York Knicks' starting 5
The New York Knicks had one of their best campaigns last season. They ended with a 41-31 record, and grabbed home-court advantage in the playoffs as the Eastern Conference 4th seed. Even though they got knocked out in the first round, the team has built a foundation for sustained success. After nearly a decade, the New York Knicks can be looked at as a top free-agent destination again.
Derrick Rose was excellent in the playoffs, so much, so that coach Tom Thibodeau benched Elfrid Payton. Julius Randle won the 2021 Most Improved Player award, and got MVP chants at Madison Square Garden, while coach Tom Thibodeau won the Coach of the Year award.
The Knicks have now acquired Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier in the offseason, which has received mixed reviews thus far.
How will the starting lineup of the New York Knicks look like in NBA 2K22?
Kemba Walker and Julius Randle should likely be the highest-rated players for the New York Knicks in NBA 2K22. Derrick Rose could be the third-best player, even though he will likely come off the bench.
On that note, here's a look at the NBA 2K22 predictions of the New York Knicks' starting lineup.
Center: Nerlens Noel - 79
Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks rotated a lot of players at the center position. Nerlens Noel and Mitchell Robinson were often found exchanging starting and bench roles, while Taj Gibson was the primary center in the 2021 NBA playoffs. However, Noel saw the most minutes in the starting lineup, so we are considering him to be a starter in 2021-22 too.
Nerlens Noel, a 27-year-old big man out of Kentucky, had a decent campaign with the Knicks last season. He averaged 5.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting at 61% from the floor.
He ended last season (NBA 2K21) with an 80 rating and as a 'build of a rim' protector. He started the game with a rating of 76, but improved over the course of the year to 80. He has a 96-rated block rating along with a 94-rated Hustle and 95-rated Shot IQ.
We predict his rating to start off at 79 in NBA 2K22.
Power Forward - Julius Randle - 88
Arguably nobody else saw an increase in their NBA 2K rating the way Julius Randle did. He won the 2021 Most Improved Player award with the New York Knicks, and his 2K rating reflected that. Randle started off last season with an 80 rating, which shot up to 89 by the end of the year.
![Julius Randle's NBA 2K22 rating over the season [Source: 2kratings.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/86c8d-16304077030796-800.jpg)
Julius Randle recorded career-highs in points, assists, rebounds and steals along with that in all shooting categories. A career 29% three-point shooter, Randle worked on his perimeter shooting, and averaged 41% from beyond the arc last year, with higher shot attempts. He also led the league in minutes played, with 37.6 per game.
Seeing that 2K Sports has reduced the ratings of most of their players and the fact that Randle was a no-show in the 2021 NBA playoffs, we expect his rating to take at least a one-point hit. So we predict that he could start NBA 2K22 as an 88-rated player, which will likely increase as the season progresses.