Westchester Knicks 2020-21 season recap

The Westchester Knicks had a solid 2020-21 season. The the team nearly make the playoffs with a 7-8 record and ended the season with an impressive victory over the Erie BayHawks, the team with the third best record in the G League. The Knicks had several impressive performances, including a three-game winning streak around the midpoint of the season.

The Knicks saw two players, Justin Patton and Myles Powell, earn NBA call-ups. This continued the trend that the team has been able to maintain since 2014 where at least one player has seen a promotion to the NBA. Westchester had two call-ups per season in four of the past six seasons.

The W-Knicks started off the 15-game regular season with a 125-120 victory against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Jared Harper had a strong offensive quarter against Fort Wayne and played a huge role in the season opener win. Not only did Ignas Brazdeikis notch his first double-double, but three W-Knicks recorded 20+ points.

Westchester was back in action the following night and kept the high level play going. The Knicks had a few players out with minor injuries, but the team stepped up and five Dub Knicks finished with 20+ points. Westchester kept the pressure on Greensboro to secure a double digit win.

The Knicks dropped the next three games. Myles Powell, Ignas Brazdeikis and Simi Shittu put together impressive performances and played a significant role in the team’s success. There were a couple games where the Knicks were in good position to win, but were outscored in the fourth quarter and struggled with their perimeter defense.

After falling to 2-3, Westchester started to put things together and won four of their next five games. Things started to click with the team. The Knicks picked up a win over G League Ignite. After a loss to the Austin Spurs, Westchester put together a three-game winning streak, which included a double digit win over the Lakeland Magic and 19-point victory over the Salt Lake City Stars. That pushed the Knicks to 6-4 and kept them in the playoff hunt.

Westchester played well the next two games against the Raptors 905 and Iowa Wolves, but struggled to close out the games and lost both games in the fourth quarter. The Knicks put together a solid second half against the Memphis Hustle in Game 13, but dropped their third game in a row.

The Knicks entered Game 14 with postseason aspirations — a win would have kept them in contention for the final playoff spot. Even though Westchester was down by 12 points heading into the fourth quarter against the Agua Caliente Clippers, the Knicks fought hard until the end. J.J. Moore helped the Dub Knicks cut their deficit by scoring 12 points in three minutes, followed by eight points from Ignas Brazdeikis. Tyler Hall drained two three-pointers, while Jared Harper hit one outside shot in the final minute to keep Westchester in the game.

The Knicks fought hard until the end, but suffered a 122-120 loss to the Clippers. The loss eliminated them from the playoffs. Skal Labissiere described what the team put together late in the fourth quarter and what it said about the team’s fight and effort. Westchester ended the season by defeating the No. 3 seed Erie BayHawks, 130-124. Jared Harper was scoring the ball well and had an efficient perimeter shooting game. Simi Shittu scored 24 points on an efficient 10-of-13 from the field, while continuing to make an impact on the glass.

The Knicks’ fight and effort was on display every game. Westchester continued their trend on giving veteran players like Justin Patton a platform to work on their game and get a second chance in the NBA, while several players put themselves in the NBA call-up discussion. The 15 games went by at the blink of an eye, so hopefully next season is closer to a 50-game regular season like a couple years ago.