Derek Fisher’s first season as head coach of the New York Knicks was a tumultuous one. However there was a silver lining for Coach Fish and his squad as the 2014-15 season rolled toward the end, the opportunity to develop some of the younger players on the roster.

Adversity in the form of injuries and massive roster turnover had the New York roster looking dramatically different from the beginning of the season to the end of it. In fact, not a single player from the team’s opening-day starting lineup was in the starting five for Game 82.

But by the time the season was over the Knicks were in the midst of a youth movement, with the average age on the team’s season ending roster checking in below 27 years old (26.7). So Coach Fish spent the latter part of the year grooming several players still in their first few years of professional basketball and as a result, player development became a late season theme for New York.

Now the Knicks enter a pivotal offseason with critical decisions to make on who stays in blue and orange and who goes, and with his first-hand knowledge of his players, Derek is sure to have plenty of input.

Throughout the season, Coach Fish had plenty of positive remarks about all 15 players who finished the season on the Knicks. We’ve already seen Derek’s thoughts on his team’s backcourt options. Now here’s a looks at his analysis of the New York frontcourt players.

COLE ALDRICH

The New York frontcourt was in flux all year long due to trades and injuries, but Cole Aldrich was a pillar of consistency. Playing time was harder to come by for the Kansas product early in the year, but he kept working, kept improving, and he turned into a productive big man for Fish’s Knicks.

Aldrich averaged 5.5 points and 5.5 boards per game, highlighted by a 17-13 night in Utah in March, and 19-14 and 24-15 efforts in April against the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons.

“He’s been a guy who, as the injuries have piled up, he’s been able to come in and be effective for us,” Derek said of Aldrich. “He doesn’t change his approach on a daily basis. He’s normally the first one at the facility at the same time, working out the same way and keeping consistent habits. He’s taking advantage of the opportunities that are coming to him. He’s a great teammate and he’s developing into one of our younger leaders on the roster.”

LOU AMUNDSON

Similar to Aldrich, Lou Amundson helped to fortify New York’s efforts down low.

The veteran played sparingly for the Cleveland Cavaliers early in the year but joined the Knicks in a midseason trade, and made an instant impact. Amundson is another max-effort guy, averaging six points and six boards while in blue and orange. But most of all, Derek loved the attitude the journeyman brought to his young Knicks.

“There’s a level of humility and integrity that makes everybody want to pull for Lou,” Coach Fish said. “To be on as many teams as he has been on and to not accept ‘no’ for an answer, and every time he gets a chance to put on a jersey, he just goes all in. He’s willing to go through a brick wall for himself and for his team. Things have changed a lot since he’s been here, and it’s great to have guys like that.”

CARMELO ANTHONY

The story 2014-15 season for Carmelo Anthony revolves around what could have been if his health had held up to allow him to lead the Knicks as he intended after signing to stay with the team last summer.

Anthony was his usual dominant self when healthy, but back issues and a knee injury limited him throughout the season, and without their star player, New York suffered. Carmelo played in just 40 games and averaged 24.2 points, as well as the team’s highest PER at 21.6. Despite injuries keeping him from having a full All-NBA-caliber campaign, Derek saw a lot of growth from the franchise cornerstone.

“I think Carmelo is continuing to find out more and more about not just statistically leading his team, but emotionally (and) psychologically,” D-Fish said with a smile on his face. “Guys are following him, and he’s setting a tone out there, and he’s playing defense, he’s doing a lot of things that are forcing guys to get to his level, and I’m proud of him, and proud of where he is right now despite being limited.”

ANDREA BARGNANI

Andrea Bargnani’s season didn’t start until February due to injury, and it ended four games early due to a different ailment. But when he was in the lineup for the Knicks, the Italian big man exceeded the initial expectations for his second season in New York.

The former No. 1 overall pick averaged nearly 15 points per game over 29 games played, including 22 starts for the Knicks. That points per game average was second only to Anthony among Knicks players. He also connected on 45.4 percent of his shots from the field, including 36.6 percent from deep, both his highest marks since the 2010-11 season.

“He’s an extremely talented player. The injuries really limited his ability to reach his ceiling or get closer to it,” Derek said of Bargnani. “So whatever the futures hold in that regard, I think the way he is finishing this season is not only showing us but showing other teams as well that he is a very capable player still at this point of his career. If he is back, that is great.”

CLEANTHONY EARLY

The importance of player development is particularly key with young guys and one of Derek’s biggest projects this past season was the Knicks’ top draft pick from 2014, Cleanthony Early.

Early spent a small portion of the season with New York’s developmental league team in Westchester, but also got his chances for the big club, appearing in 39 games, including seven starts. The athletic Wichita State product showed signs of great progress through the season, including a nine-game stretch in March when he tallied double digit points in six games despite varying minutes totals.

Coach Fish was pleased with the rookie swingman’s improvement during his rookie campaign.

“We talked to him about not worrying about the shot as much,

[but] as a young player, to find what it is you can do to help the team,’’ Derek said of Early. “Defensive energy and being a guy who plays with passion is what attracted everyone to him and why we drafted him. Those are the things we want to see from Cle every night. And if he makes a shot, we’ll take that as well.”

JASON SMITH

In a season ruled by trips to the trainers room for New York regulars, only one Knickerbocker managed to play all 82 games and it was center Jason Smith. That was a career first for the seven-year veteran, playing in his first season with the Knicks.

While running the gamut for New York, Smith also posted career highs in games started (31) and minutes played (1,785) and averaged exactly eight points and four points per game, which were both higher than his career averages. In the midst of a consistently solid season for the veteran, Fish praised Smith, who made the first fully healthy season of his career a smashing success for all parties involved.

“He has continued to get healthier. His body is feeling like he can go out there and do what he needs to do on both ends of the floor,” Fish said of Smith. “He’s really becoming a stabilizing force for us, not just offensively, but he’s also working hard on the defensive end, rebounding and really becoming one of our veteran leaders in terms of bringing the right effort and mindset every night to the game.”

LANCE THOMAS

Lance Thomas joined the Knicks in January as part of a three-team trade with the Thunder and Cavaliers and provided an instant spark for New York. Within his first half a dozen games with the Knicks, Thomas tallied 16+ points in three straight, including 17 on 8-of-13 from the field in a winner over his former team Oklahoma City.

Later in the season, Thomas set a new career scoring high with a 24-point outburst against the Toronto Raptors in March. He finished strong, starting New York’s final 21 games of the season, averaging better than eight points per game. But most importantly, he brought an exceptional attitude to the locker room.

“I’m not sure if there are more positive things to say about him and what he has done since he joined our team,” Fish said in praise of Thomas. “He has changed our team and changed our culture because he’s a great young man. He comes to work everyday with the same attitude and mindset, and despite our record, we’re better off having had him. You have to celebrate the small successes in life.”

TRAVIS WEAR

A rookie out of UCLA, Travis Wear grabbed New York’s final roster spot at the start of the year and held it down for the season, appearing in 51 games for the Knicks as a rookie.

Wear had some ups and downs in production throughout the year, as is to be expected from a rookie receiving limited minutes. But he worked hard to improve throughout the campaign and his efforts were rewarded in January when he scored a career high 21-points against the Houston Rockets. Along the way, Wear earned plenty of compliments from Coach Fish.

“Travis is a really good player,” Fish said. “He works hard every single day. He has some natural talents and some natural gifts that you can’t coach. He’s extremely athletic and he has a feel for the game of basketball. He’s helped us in the minutes that he has gotten out on the floor.”