The New York Knicks lost to the Toronto Raptors 113-104, and it was because of poor play after a great first quarter.
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The New York Knicks got outworked by the Toronto Raptors and lost 113-104. New York dropped a double-digit lead in the first half, but this time failed to recover. Once Toronto built momentum, there was no turning back.
The Knicks allowed 13 offensive rebounds and seemed to be relying on the law of averages to deal with Toronto’s three-point shooting instead of playing defense. This allowed the Raptors to capitalize on open looks and second chances to hand New York a loss.
The bright side is that RJ Barrett continued his ascent with a big performance. Julius Randle and Kemba Walker would try to back him up, but they had uneven performances. Also, the bench never found a hot hand although Immanuel Quickley did a lot of other things well. Let’s examine the harsh defeat and see what we can learn.
RJ Barrett breaths life into a sleepwalking Knicks’ starting unit:
Kemba Walker: The hot shooting continued for Kemba Walker, who had a nice offensive game albeit not as good as the past couple. He continued to shoot well and started adding dimes to his pick-and-roll attack. But his forays into traffic led to trouble at times. All of this complicates an otherwise straightforward evaluation that it’s time for Kemba to assert himself more often.
Walker spent 28 minutes knocking down 5/10 from the field, 3/6 from three, and 2/2 from the free throw line — he finished with 15 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. Walker hit all three of his long-range shots in succession, and most of his damage was done in similar bursts of action. He would get going for a few possessions before fading into a background role for the other ball-handlers.
At the expense of Walker’s scoring efficiency, it’s worth wondering whether he should be given an increase in playmaking responsibilities. With Fournier and Randle struggling as the game wore on, easy looks generated from a true point guard might have been a better approach. Yet that added responsibility could also mean a dip in efficiency as Walker still isn’t consistently beating defenders off the dribble.
Walker gets a 2.5 out of 5 for a good offensive night, but one in which I’d like to see him be more of a playmaker.
Evan Fournier: This was Evan Fournier’s worst performance as a Knick. Toronto chased the new shooting guard off his spots on the perimeter and never let him attack the interior comfortably. Even though Fournier found Mitch for a pair of assists against the Raptors’ collapsing defenders, he was blanketed from then on. That left his possessions filled with badly missed attempts, turnovers, and sloppy pass-offs.
Fournier’s minutes dipped to 25, as he put up 12 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 turnovers — he shot 5/13 from the field, 2/6 from three, and 0/2 from the free throw line.
Evan’s struggles went beyond offense as well, with Gary Trent torching the Knicks’ defense — guarded predominantly by the Frenchman. His defensive woes and inability to handle the rock led to a late benching for Immanuel Quickley.
That last bit about Quickley says something about Fournier’s struggles. Fournier became a liability to the extent that he lost minutes to a player that visibly didn’t trust his jumper. That made it all the more painful for Fournier because he wasn’t the player receiving looks down the stretch.
Fournier scores a 1 out of 5 for his combination of poor offense and getting burned on defense.
RJ Barrett: RJ Barrett’s continued emergence was the bright spot of this loss because he followed up his career-high scoring with another monster performance. He continued to score in every way imaginable, showing off his entire bag. The third-year prospect shot comfortably from range and powered through defenders in traffic. He did pick up some extra turnovers on his many trips inside, but they felt like a fair tradeoff next to so many positive moments.
Broadway Barrett locked in for 27 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 4 turnovers in 39 minutes — he shot 9/13 from the field, 5/8 from three, and 4/6 from the line. His jumper has come around after the slow start, and he’s finishing better than he has at any point before this season. Defenders now have to crowd him outside, but that means he can muscle past them off the dribble.
While the rest of the team’s effort ebbed and flow, RJ was the engine that kept things close. He was the reason for momentum shifts and comeback attempts.
The Raptors were physical and aggressive, but Barrett was one of the few players to embrace the contact and hit back. Walker picked his spots; Fournier was hesitant, and Randle was frustrated. But it was the youngest player on the starting unit, showing everyone else that aggression could pay off.
Broadway Barrett gets a 4 out of 5 for being the lone source of optimism in this game.
Julius Randle: Julius Randle got the Knicks off to a blazing start in the first quarter before grinding New York’s offense to a halt by the end of the second. Randle knocked down a barrage of first quarter three’s and helped New York to a quick lead. The Knicks rode that momentum to a 15-point advantage in the second quarter, with everyone thriving. Then Randle checked back in and faced an adjusted Raptor defense… and his effectiveness all but folded behind forced shots, bad turnovers, and too much isolation.
Randle finished 37 minutes with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, and 3 turnovers — he shot 7/14 from the field, 4/7 from three, and 4/4 from the free throw line. The numbers look good, but he picked up the lion’s share of his scoring in that torrid first quarter.
Julius also flashed his usual great passing, but too often he would hold onto the ball for too long and get trapped with no where to send the ball. His turnovers were momentum-killing because he’d have open teammates but take too long to spot them.
Despite a healthy amount of production, Randle’s numbers don’t tell the whole story. OG Anunoby burned him for 36 points along with tough defense after the first. The Knicks’ star’s body language screamed frustration and his defense lacked the effort we’ve grown to appreciate. Something has seemed off about Randle for two games in a row.
Randle gets a 1.5 out of 5 in spite of the numbers that look fine…the eye test is just that worrisome.
Mitchell Robinson: While the Knicks’ perimeter defense folded, Mitchell Robinson remained a fixture in the middle. He visibly caused players to miss shots at the rim with his presence and threat. Mitch also grabbed a number of impressive offensive boards from over players that were genuinely trying to box out. The big man overwhelmed defenders in bursts but saw his impact muted by the perimeter heavy action.
Robinson spent 28 minutes gathering 6 points, 12 boards, 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 turnover — he shot 2/4 from the field and 2/2 from the charity stripe. But let’s circle those three dimes because that’s an area of growth for Mitch this season. Robinson’s best assist came on a touch pass to the cutting Evan Fournier, and it really highlighted his improvements. He’s seeing over players to make quick reads that help him find ball handlers. It’s yet another promising development for the young big.
I have a hard time rating Robinson’s performance. For all intents and purposes, Mitch did everything that he typically provides. The big man was an anchor on the interior and a headache to keep off boards. But Toronto forced the Knicks to play outside and New York obliged. Through no fault of his own, New York’s shot blocker was relegated to an after thought even while his own game was going pretty well.
Mitch gets a 2.5 out of 5, held back by the inability of ball-handlers to better utilize his presence.
IQ the playmaker shines for New York’s bench:
Derrick Rose: Speaking of players that had their worst performance of the season, Derrick Rose never seemed to get going in this one. Toronto never gave him space to shoot or explode into a first step. Instead, Rose meandered at times and forced the issue at others. He seems to be taking a more passive role in the offense than last year and for this game, that meant never finding a rhythm against an aggressive defense.
In 20 minutes, Rose managed 4 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers — he shot 2/8 from the field and 0/2 from three. The poor shooting came with a handful of complaints lobbed at the refs. The Raptors ripped the ball from driving players consistently, and they were rarely punished by whistles. This obviously impacted Rose as he missed some shots and turned the ball over because he couldn’t draw whistles despite being crowded and harassed.
Rose’s wings took on a lot of the offense, maybe because of his struggles. That said, he’s seemed to play off-ball more often all year long. That stood out in this game because the Raptors made life hard for anyone that attacked inside. Rose’s numbers don’t justify more time on the ball here, but I’d have liked to see him more aggressive given the lack of scoring elsewhere from the bench.
Rose gets a 1.5 out of 5 for his struggles.
Immanuel Quickley: It all comes down to the jumper with Immanuel Quickley. IQ played some of the best perimeter defense on the team, and paired his defense with some playmaking chops. The sophomore was elusive amid Toronto’s aggression and used it against them to find holes for cutters at the basket. There was nobody on the Knicks’ roster that used his gravity more effectively to generate looks for teammates… so how did he still have a rough night?
IQ managed 7 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds in 19 minutes — he shot 1/7 from the field, 1/6 from three, and 4/4 from the free throw line.
Despite being effective at every other facet of the game, Quickley’s inability to shoot proved costly. He missed two open looks when the Knicks were on the cusp of comeback runs. By the end of the game, he was clearly hesitating to shoot and that dragged out possessions while passing up good looks for worse ones.
I’ve been brushing off the sophomore’s shooting woes since summer league. But we’ve reached a stage now where that jumper is the only thing holding him back. He earned extended minutes by doing literally everything else well. I’m starting to sweat over his jumper missing in action, and it looks like IQ is beginning to also.
Quickley gets a 2 out of 5 on a night that could have been a 4 if he just converted the open shots he got.
Alec Burks: It feels like Alec Burks is having worse performances than his stats show lately. Burks doesn’t seem to do explicitly bad things with the rock in hand, but it still feels like he’s spending too much time on the ball. The microwave shooter is at his best making snap decisions off the catch against an unbalanced defense. But this season there are possessions where he meanders on the perimeter before resetting to someone else with too little time to do anything but force offense.
Burks picked up 5 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal in 16 minutes — he shot 2/3 from the field and 1/1 from three. But he was on the ball a lot more than that production suggests. It’s not an explicitly bad stat-line, but it lacks production for his minutes on the floor. He didn’t force anything against the Raptors’ aggressive defense, but he didn’t create anything either. Burks was just out there, present but barely.
It’s still early, but the three guard tandem of Rose, IQ, and Burks is struggling to find rhythm. At times the bench offense feels like hot potato, with each ball-handler waiting his turn to create from up top. That takes an offense with three dynamic weapons and renders it predictable and easy to stop. In my opinion, Burks is the player that would be best served to switch to a fully off-ball role and capitalize on catch and shoot opportunities.
Burks gets a 1.5 out of 5 for the quiet game.
Obi Toppin: Obi Toppin continues to slip in a lot of production for very limited minutes. He got just 13 minutes of action and still tallied 6 points, 3 rebounds, a block, and a turnover. That makes him the second-leading bench scorer despite others getting more minutes and dominating touches. Obi’s seeming to block a shot per game and his defense isn’t bad, although it runs into communication problems.
Obi shot 2/4 from the field, 0/1 from three, and 2/4 from the free throw line. He’s got all of the requisites to energize the team when they enter one of their lulls. But Thibodeau has stubbornly avoided mixing the rotations enough for Obi to get his fair shake. The team needs a boost, and I think Obi would be a good answer, especially with Randle’s body language recently.
Taj Gibson: Taj Gibson only played 10 minutes before leaving the game on a sprain ankle. He only tallied 1 assist in that time, but his value showed more in his absence. The Knicks’ bench unit played solid defense without him, but couldn’t close possessions on rebounds. The big man’s physicality was especially missed against these Raptors.
Jericho Sims: With Taj out in the second half, Jericho Sims got 5 minutes for 1 rebounds and 1 turnover. He had some nice moments defensively at the rim, challenging shots. But Sims continues to show poor spatial awareness and positioning that keeps his minutes low. The big man looks formidable, but he’s a raw piece that needs more development.
Another big lead squandered, this time without the recovery for Tom Thibodeau:
Tom Thibodeau: This one is easily Tom Thibodeau’s most frustrating performance. We saw more energy and determination from Thibs during some of the preseason games. Knicks fans and broadcasters alike have been complaining about New York’s propensity to let up when they get a big lead. Thibodeau has excused those slip-ups and credited opponents, but the pattern has continued with every single team the Knicks play.
There is no excuse for the lapse this time because it finally came back to bite New York. The Knicks handed away momentum in a series of Randle isolations, and never figured out how to get it back. Thibs stuck to his rotation and didn’t seem to embrace RJ’s hot hand until it was too late. There aren’t stand out bad decisions, but the lack of decisive action to change New York’s momentum is what leaves Thibodeau’s night a disappointment.
It’s rare that a Tom Thibodeau team gets outworked. But the Knicks almost got outworked by the Pelicans and then did let the Raptors outhustle them. Julius Randle’s body-language is worrisome and Derrick Rose suddenly feels less like the 6th man because Alec Burks is taking up too many pick and roll possessions. It’s time for the coach to start sorting things out because the Knicks’ feel-good record is hiding some obvious blemishes.
Thibodeau gets a 1 out of 5 for doing nothing to help his players after the same struggles keep appearing.
Closing Thoughts:
Are we spoiled already? Is that what makes us so frustrated with a 5-2 team? I don’t think it’s the record or the talent. We’re spoiled by the insane amount of hard work that we saw from a lot of these same players last year. The winning culture was ingrained in our minds thanks to selfless play and hard work. The Knicks this year are selfless, but they’re taking chunks of the game off whenever they think a team should just give up.
It’s no wonder that New York fans might get frustrated now. This team is 5-2 with the losses coming against two of the least talented opponents that they’ve faced. We loved last year’s squad because they overachieved and concerns are rising for this new squad for the adverse. The Knicks have been playing up or down to their competition, and while it’s refreshing to see them keep up with everybody… nothing’s more frustrating than watching them go through the motions against certain opponents.
The next opponent is Indiana, and while that team is struggling, they have the size and physicality to pressure New York. We just saw our boys fold against a physical opponent and if Gibson’s ankle isn’t healed then size could become an issue. This team is super-talented and has the firepower to make up for losses, but do they have the willpower? We’ll see how they respond to adversity on Wednesday. I’ll see you there Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 season! And in case you missed it, check out the New York Knicks Weekly Recap show from this past Sunday with CP, JD, and Alex Trataros.
