2015–16 New York Knicks season
Season of National Basketball Association team the New York Knicks
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The 2015–16 New York Knicks season was the 70th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[3]
Head coachDerek Fisher (through February 8, 2016)[1]
Kurt Rambis (after February 8, 2016)[2]
Kurt Rambis (after February 8, 2016)[2]
| 2015–16 New York Knicks season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Derek Fisher (through February 8, 2016)[1] Kurt Rambis (after February 8, 2016)[2] |
| President | Phil Jackson |
| General manager | Steve Mills |
| Owners | The Madison Square Garden Company |
| Arena | Madison Square Garden |
| Results | |
| Record | 32–50 (.390) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Atlantic) Conference: 13th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | MSG TV |
| Radio | WEPN-FM |
The season is notable when Kristaps Porzingis gained national attention when he was booed after being drafted fourth overall in the 2015 NBA draft.
Derek Fisher in just his second season as Knicks head coach was fired on February 8, 2016, and assistant coach Kurt Rambis took over for the rest of the season.
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kristaps Porziņģis | PF |  Latvia |
Baloncesto Sevilla (Spain) |
With their sole selection in the 2015 NBA draft, the New York Knicks selected the originally labelled 7'1" (later revealed to actually be 7'3") power forward/center from Latvia named Kristaps Porziņģis. At the time of his selection, the crowd supporting the team had greeted him with boos and jeers against him, with Stephen A. Smith originally expressing doubts and concerns with this selection. However, months after his selection, Porziņģis became an immediate star player for the Knicks, growing a huge crowd of support for himself the further the season went on, with even Stephen A. Smith changing his original stance on his later on in the season. Porziņģis would end the season with winning each Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month Award, as well as earning easy support for an NBA All-Rookie First Team spot. He was also considered the runner-up for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, falling just short of that draft year's #1 pick, Karl-Anthony Towns.
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Preseason game log
| 2015–16 game log Total: 4–2 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pre-season: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
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| 2015–16 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standing
| Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Toronto Raptors | 56 | 26 | .683 | – | 32–9 | 24–17 | 14–2 | 82 |
| x – Boston Celtics | 48 | 34 | .585 | 8.0 | 28–13 | 20–21 | 10–6 | 82 |
| e – New York Knicks | 32 | 50 | .390 | 24.0 | 18–23 | 14–27 | 8–8 | 82 |
| e – Brooklyn Nets | 21 | 61 | .256 | 35.0 | 14–27 | 7–34 | 6–10 | 82 |
| e – Philadelphia 76ers | 10 | 72 | .122 | 46.0 | 7–34 | 3–38 | 2–14 | 82 |
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Cleveland Cavaliers * | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Toronto Raptors * | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1.0 | 82 |
| 3 | y – Miami Heat * | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Atlanta Hawks | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Boston Celtics | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Charlotte Hornets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – Indiana Pacers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 12.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Detroit Pistons | 44 | 38 | .537 | 13.0 | 82 |
| 9 | e – Chicago Bulls | 42 | 40 | .512 | 15.0 | 82 |
| 10 | e – Washington Wizards | 41 | 41 | .500 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 11 | e – Orlando Magic | 35 | 47 | .427 | 22.0 | 82 |
| 12 | e – Milwaukee Bucks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 13 | e – New York Knicks | 32 | 50 | .390 | 25.0 | 82 |
| 14 | e – Brooklyn Nets | 21 | 61 | .256 | 36.0 | 82 |
| 15 | e – Philadelphia 76ers | 10 | 72 | .122 | 47.0 | 82 |
Regular season game log
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Lopez | 82 | 82 | 27.1 | .539 | .000 | .795 | 7.3 | 1.4 | .2 | 1.6 | 10.3 |
| Langston Galloway | 82 | 7 | 24.8 | .393 | .344 | .754 | 3.5 | 2.5 | .9 | .3 | 7.6 |
| Derrick Williams | 80 | 9 | 17.9 | .450 | .293 | .758 | 3.7 | .9 | .4 | .1 | 9.3 |
| Jerian Grant | 76 | 6 | 16.6 | .394 | .220 | .780 | 1.9 | 2.3 | .7 | .1 | 5.6 |
| Carmelo Anthony | 72 | 72 | 35.1 | .434 | .339 | .829 | 7.7 | 4.2 | .9 | .5 | 21.8 |
| Kristaps Porziņģis | 72 | 72 | 28.4 | .421 | .333 | .838 | 7.3 | 1.3 | .7 | 1.9 | 14.3 |
| José Calderón | 72 | 72 | 28.1 | .459 | .414 | .875 | 3.2 | 4.1 | .9 | .1 | 7.6 |
| Arron Afflalo | 71 | 57 | 33.4 | .443 | .382 | .840 | 3.7 | 2.0 | .4 | .1 | 12.8 |
| Kyle O'Quinn | 65 | 1 | 11.8 | .476 | .227 | .767 | 3.8 | 1.1 | .3 | .8 | 4.8 |
| Sasha Vujačić | 61 | 25 | 14.9 | .383 | .364 | .821 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .6 | .1 | 4.9 |
| Lance Thomas | 59 | 5 | 22.3 | .442 | .404 | .857 | 2.2 | .9 | .4 | .1 | 8.2 |
| Kevin Séraphin | 48 | 0 | 11.0 | .410 | .000 | .826 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .2 | .8 | 3.9 |
| Lou Amundson | 29 | 0 | 7.0 | .358 | .519 | 1.7 | .4 | .2 | .2 | 1.8 | |
| Cleanthony Early | 17 | 2 | 9.1 | .300 | .267 | .750 | 1.5 | .4 | .1 | .2 | 1.8 |
| Thanasis Antetokounmpo | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .750 | .000 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 3.0 | |
| Jimmer Fredette† | 2 | 0 | 2.5 | 1.000 | 1.000 | .800 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 3.5 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Knicks only.
Transactions
Trades
| June 25, 2015 | To Atlanta Hawks Tim Hardaway Jr. (from New York) Two future second-round picks (from Washington) |
To New York Knicks Draft rights to Jerian Grant (from Washington) |
| To Washington Wizards Draft rights to Kelly Oubre, Jr. (from Atlanta) | ||
Free agents
Re-signed
| Player | Signed | Former Team |
|---|---|---|
| Lou Amundson[4] | Signed 1-year contract worth $1.6 million | New York Knicks |
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former Team |
|---|---|---|
| Arron Afflalo[5] | Signed 2-year contract worth $16 million | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Robin Lopez[6] | Signed 4-year contract worth $54 million | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Kyle O'Quinn[7] | Signed 4-year contract worth $16 million | Orlando Magic |
| Derrick Williams[8] | Signed 2-year contract worth $8.8 million | Sacramento Kings |
| Sasha Vujacic[9] | Signed 1-year contract worth $1.3 million | İstanbul BB |
| Thanasis Antetokounmpo[10] | Signed 2-year contract worth $1.4 million | Westchester Knicks |
| Kevin Seraphin[11] | Signed 1-year contract worth $2.8 million | Washington Wizards |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason Left | New Team |
|---|---|---|
| Shane Larkin[12] | Signed 2-year contract worth $3 million | Brooklyn Nets |
| Cole Aldrich[13] | Signed 2-year contract worth $2.3 million | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Jason Smith[14] | Signed 1-year contract worth $4.5 million | Orlando Magic |
| Alexey Shved[15] | Signed 3-year contract | Khimki |
| Andrea Bargnani[16] | Signed 2-year contract worth $2.9 million | Brooklyn Nets |
| Quincy Acy[17] | Signed 2-year contract worth $2 million | Sacramento Kings |
| Ricky Ledo[18] | Waived | Reno Bighorns |