NBA 2023-24 Rosters: Knicks vs Celtics – Are Julius Randle and RJ Barrett Playing Tonight Amid Joel Embiid Rumors?

Joel Embiid might be still mulling over his Big Apple move, but the New York Knicks is going ahead with their regular season by taking on the mighty Boston Celtics on Wednesday. They finished fifth in the Eastern Conference last season, their best in a decade. But they still have a lot to worry about.

This offseason, the Celtics made some big splashes and splurged in bringing Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to the roster. These two, added with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, means that they are the strongest team in the conference right now. And defeating them would be an uphill task. It requires precise strategy and an excellent line-up. Do the Knicks have that?

Who will be starting?

While all the other teams were making big trades and strengthening their teams, the Knicks were pretty quiet. The only newcomer in the roster is Donte DiVincenzo who joined this July. With most of the players from the last season, there’s little room for surprise here. Although the ones we will be looking for are Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. 

The two participated in Knicks’ last preseason game against the Wizards. Although it was a loss, there is some potential that can be easily improved by Tom Thibodeau. 

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On the other hand, Evan Fournier has been vocal about his readiness to play. He played just 27 games and was in rotation for a large part of the season. It remains to be seen if Fournier gets more play time amid another big possibility. 

Will Joel Embiid join the Knicks?

The Harden-76ers drama has been going on all through summer. While everyone has tried to maintain a positive morals, it seems like Joel Embiid is getting frustrated by it all. According to rumors, the Cameroonian is looking to move to the Big Apple.

During the Sixers’ media day, Embiid shared, “I just wanna win a championship, whatever it takes. I don’t know where that’s gonna be, whether that’s in Philly or anywhere else.” 

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Embiid did have an exceptional 2022-23 season scoring a career-high average of points per game at 33.1, with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks and a steal per night. Maybe he is realizing that all his efforts will go for waste in a team that is so full of uncertainties. Could this mean that he will make a jump?