Examining Leon Rose’s offseason work to improve Knicks roster

The heavy lifting appears to be over. The Knicks’ offseason looks more or less set, following the signings of Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein — and the re-signing of Mitchell Robinson — that leaves them with just the $5.2 room mid-level exception. 

The Post’s Zach Braziller offers five thoughts on president Leon Rose’s work up to this point: 

Incremental Progress Made 

The Knicks are better, but how much better? They filled their most pressing need at point guard (Brunson), and added some versatility up front (Hartenstein), but that won’t vault them into serious contention. If all goes right — if Brunson and franchise cornerstone RJ Barrett take steps forward as stars, if the enigmatic Julius Randle rediscovers his 2020-21 form, if Hartenstein explodes with more opportunities, if the role players behind them excel — this is still a team that isn’t among the elite in the Eastern Conference. The loaded Celtics, Heat, 76ers and Bucks remain the teams to beat in the East. The Hawks, following the Dejounte Murray trade, and the improving Cavaliers are both better on paper. And the Kevin Durant sweepstakes could vault someone else into the upper echelon mix, such as the Raptors. Make no mistake, the Knicks should be more competitive. A spot in the play-in round is very realistic. But anything beyond the seven-seed would be stunning for this roster as currently constituted. 

The Randle conundrum 

Two years after he was one of the best players in the NBA, Randle will be asked to make major adjustments. He will be playing with the ball less, which could curtail his production. A playmaker like Brunson could free up Randle, but it will also mean a new way of playing for the bruising forward, who is used to creating, albeit with a high turnover rate. There is also the question of spacing, since Brunson, Randle and Barrett all excel beneath the 3-point line, and non-shooting center Mitchell Robinson clogs the paint as well. 

Shooting questions 

The Knicks traded away their top 3-point shooter by percentage in Alec Burks to create enough salary cap space to land Brunson, and this is a team that was 13th in the league in 3-point shooting percentage a year ago. Brunson, a career 37.3 percent shooter who can create open looks for his teammates, obviously helps. But the Knicks will need more out of young players Quentin Grimes and Cam Reddish, provided Reddish remains with the team, and they should get more chances to perform. Immanuel Quickley, who likely will play predominantly off the ball next year, saw his shooting percentage fall from 38.9 percent to 34.6. So improvement from him isn’t a crazy ask. It may be a necessity for the Knicks. 

Brunson was right decision 

I’ve noticed a lot of criticism of this move, that the Knicks are overpaying for a good — but not a great — player. That Brunson, who agreed to a four-year, $104 million deal on Thursday night, doesn’t make them a title contender. That he isn’t a top-five point guard in the league. I’m not here to disagree with any…