A Q&A with the staff of SB Nation’s Knicks site Posting and Toasting.

What needs to happen for this to be an enjoyable season for Knicks fans?

The Knicks need Kristaps Porzingis to play like an All-Star, Frank Ntilikina to show he's a future playmaker, and at least one of the Tim Hardaway Jr./Damyean Dotston/Willy Hernangomez trio to reach new heights. Wins are (mostly) irrelevant.

New York Knicks / Projected Starters
Position	Starters	Bench
Guards	Frank Ntilikina	Ron Baker Ramon Sessions Jarrett Jack Damyean Dotson
Wings	Tim Hardaway Jr. Courtney Lee	Doug McDermott Lance Thomas Michael Beasley Mindaugas Kuzminskas
Bigs	Kristaps Porzingis Enes Kanter	Willy Hernangomez Kyle O’Quinn Joakim Noah

What makes Knicks fans most excited about this year? What makes Knicks fans most nervous?

The most exciting prospect is the return of a true defensive dog at the point guard position in Ntilikina. If the preseason is any indication of how the youth movement — and specifically Ntilikina — will influence the Knicks’ defensive play, then we’ll be thrilled to watch these guys develop and play.

The most nerve-racking prospect is watching Porzingis hobble through another injury-plagued second half of the season.

Gut Check

Survey data collected from site writers and editors. The wider the graph the more optimism and trust the fans have in their team! The grey line indicates the average of all sites' collected data.

2.9

Out of 10

How good will your team be this year

6.4

Out of 10

Are they on the rise or on the decline

5.4

Out of 10

Are fans happy with the team’s direction or angry

2.3

Out of 10

Are they trying to win now or build for the future

What storyline might a national audience be missing about the Knicks?

The potential home run job the Knicks did in this years draft. Without scoring a ton of points per game, Ntilikina may play in relative obscurity, but between he and Dotson, the Knicks may have drafted two great two-way players who have long NBA careers.

Why should neutrals pay attention to the Knicks this year?

Kristaps.

What's your prediction for the season?

33-49, No. 12 in the East. By season's end, most Knick fans will be enamored enough with Ntilikina to get over passing on Dennis Smith Jr.