If the New York Knicks failed at one thing this season, it was the ability to manage expectations.
The overachieving roster that was projected to win 25 games but soared to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference in 2020-21 entered this season with the belief that their success was set to be duplicated.
On paper, that theory was accurate: New York returned nine players from that playoff team, including All-Star Julius Randle, and signed veteran guards Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier.
However, as this season proved, the 41-win season from a year ago and the revamped backcourt portrayed a false belief that the rebuild started in 2020 by president of basketball operations Leon Rose was complete.