Top 5 Forgotten Knicks During Their Rebuilding Years Back To Winning A Championship

The New York Knicks are NBA Champions for the first time in 53 years. It still feels like a fever dream. 13 straight playoff wins and 4-1 in the finals with only 2 losses in the playoffs total, we may very well never see this type of domination again in our lifetimes.

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I personally became a Knicks fan in 2018 when I was 13. I had no clue what I was getting myself into when I fell in love with a team that struggled to win 20 games in a season and would end up having a head coach who would smile when being blown out. No team has given me more painful moments than the New York Knicks, but where there’s pain, there’s gain – for the Knicks it took a while, but they gained and now they are part of forever.

I have seen many players come and go in what has been nearly a decade of fandom. Some are memorable, as others are a mere name on a forgotten stat sheet from a throw away game. With that said I have compiled a list of the top-five most forgotten about Knicks from 2018-2026. These players may be forgotten, but their efforts, playing time and eventual roster moves created a playoff contender that would turn into a championship winner.

5. Norvel Pelle

Norvel Pelle played a staggering 12 games combined for the Knicks and Nets in the 2020/21 season, with 9 games being with the Knicks. Pelle signed a 10-day contract with the Knicks on April 2nd, 2021. A big guy bench role player, Pelle would never start a game and overall just averaged 5.8 minutes. Pelle would notch a career-high FG% while being part of the Knicks at .714%, while also averaging 1.2 points and 1.2 total rebounds per-game. Pelle is just 1 of 86 players total in Knicks franchise history (560 total) to appear in 10-games or less with New York. Pelle would ultimately sign a multi-year deal with the Knicks, but would be waived in July of the same year.

4. Wayne Selden 

Wayne Selden played three games for the Knicks in the 2021/22 season. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard would average 1.7 points in what would be one of the shortest tenures in New York Knicks history that saw 5 (five) total points.

3. DeAndre Jordan

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

When I think of DeAndre Jordan I think of him in a Nets uniform, not a Knicks one. Jordan is the first player on this list who appeared in more than 10 games, so that’s something, overall Jordan played 19 games as a member of the 2018/19 New York Knicks. Being a mid-season January trade piece from Dallas to New York in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis, Jordan would see him come to a team with a fanbase mourning the loss of a fan favorite player. On March 15th, 2019, DeAndre Jordan would match a career-high with 9 assists in what was a 109-83 loss to the Spurs. Jordan started all 19 games he appeared in for New York, and averaged 10.9 points in 25 minutes before leaving for the Brooklyn Nets in free agency during the offseason.

2. Allonzo Trier

Sports Illustrated

Allonzo Trier is a 2K legend, I don’t care who you are, this guy was goated for whatever reason in 2K. Trier signed to a two-way contract with the Knicks after going undrafted in the 2018 Draft, but would spend the bulk of his time in the NBA. His rookie season saw 64 games and 3 starts, averaging 22.8 minutes and double-digit points. Trier would average 10.9 points per-game in the 2018/19 season, but a low assist, rebounds and block number would plague him. Just six days after his 23rd birthday, Trier would notch his career-high 31 points and be +19 on the court against the Rockets, in what would end up being a 114-110 loss. Trier’s role would be reduced in his second season, seeing just 24 games and 1 start total, cutting his minutes in half to just 12.1 per-game. He would be waived by New York and never appear in the NBA again.

Honorable Mention: Luca Vildoza

I personally have Luca Vildoza’s name engraved in my head for some odd reason. The Argentinian player made so much noise when he signed with the Knicks. The 6-foot-4 Vildoza signed with New York on May 6th, 2021, played in a massive two NBA Summer League games and was waived on October 5th. So does this even count since it was the offseason? I don’t know, but what I do know is that so many Knicks fans were drooling over this guy and he is single-handedly responsible for Knick content creators to get thousands of views on YouTube. 

1. Luke Kornet

Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

The Knicks just beat Luke Kornet and the Spurs to become NBA Champions, but if it wasn’t for the Knicks then Kornet’s NBA career would have been very different. Kornet was originally signed by the Knicks in 2017 after going undrafted. Kornet would make his NBA debut on February 8th, 2018, against the Raptors and would finish with a double-double. Kornet’s 11 points and 10 rebounds made him just the second rookie in Knicks history to notch a double-double in their debut. Kornet also made NBA history as the first player to sink three three-pointers and have four blocks in their debut. Overall in two years as a Knick, Kornet appeared in 66 games with 19 coming as a starter. He would average 0.9 blocks, 3.0 TRBs and 6.9 points. Kornet would depart from the team and go play for the Chicago Bulls after the 2018 season.

So that’s my list. Personally I could easily do a top-10 or even a top-20 list – I mean there have been SO many Knicks players who have come and gone. 

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