The New York Knicks get an ugly victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves 96-88. Mitchell Robinson was the catalyst in this win.
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The New York Knicks took care of business against a depleted Minnesota Timberwolves. It wasn’t pretty and felt much closer than it should have considering the Timberwolves were down their top three scorers. Both teams shot miserably, punctuated by the Knicks shooting 6/16 from the free-throw line and Minnesota shooting 7/38 from three. At the end of the day, New York’s rebounding and bench play made the difference in pushing the Knicks back into the play-in territory.
Mitchell Robinson was New York’s best player, while Evan Fournier helped early and RJ Barrett closed late. Off the bench, Quentin Grimes continues to make positive contributions while the rest held strong despite Derrick Rose’s absence. An ugly win is still a win, and there were plenty of noteworthy moments. Let’s see how New York began its first win streak since Halloween.
The Knicks’ starters still can’t figure out a zone defense
Kemba Walker: 10 PTS (3/11 FG, 3/7 3 PT, 1/2 FT), 2 AST, 4 REB, 1 TO in 33 mins
The Timberwolves committed to stopping New York’s pick and roll attack, which neutered a lot of Kemba Walker’s offense. To his credit, he stuck as a threat by taking and making three-pointers in space. But Walker never got the chance to be as aggressive as during his recent hot streak. Instead, he had a solid but pedestrian night.
Walker should get some credit for his defensive effort in this one. When he was removed from the rotation, his defense was cited as the main culprit. Minnesota still had players that shot over the diminutive point guard at times, but his effort was rarely an issue. He visibly challenged shots and had sharp rotations for most of this performance.
If there’s a complaint to be had, it’s that Walker didn’t have much to offer against the zone. He hit a few shots but failed to generate much pressure inside. That stagnated the offense and put pressure back on Julius Randle to create. Still, Walker wasn’t bad in this performance, he simply didn’t have the impact of recent performances. Walker gets a 2.5 out of 5 on the night.
RJ Barrett: 8 PTS (3/10 FG, 1/4 3PT, 1/3 FT), 3 AST, 3 REB, 1 BLK, 4 TO in 24 mins
It looked like RJ Barrett was still carrying some rust through three quarters. He didn’t make a field goal until less than 6 minutes were left in the game. Prior to that, he looked equal parts out of rhythm and hesitant to shoot. His low efficiency and high turnovers are both the result of these struggles. Barrett was just out of sorts.
Barrett did attempt to make up for his poor offense in other ways. His one block was an emphatic effort despite early foul trouble. He threw some nice passes, with a couple of would-be dimes flying right through big men’s hands. Barrett was pressing for most of the night, but kicked into gear after finishing a tough drive-through contact.
Barrett’s first points came with less than six minutes left in regulation. He would knock down a three-pointer, another drive, and one late free-throw (he missed two others) before the end of regulation. It was a nice way to salvage an otherwise rough night and a way to reward Tom Thibodeau for sticking with the youngster. RJ gets a 2 out of 5, saving his impact score with crucial scoring late.
Evan Fournier: 13 PTS (5/14 FG, 3/7 3PT), 2 AST, 2 REB, 1 TO in 25 mins
Evan Fournier started the game hot, getting inside and scoring or throwing some clever passes. Fournier wasn’t just creative off the dribble, he even made some tricky cuts to get free without the ball. It looked like he was poised to have a big night with Minnesota focusing more on Walker and Randle. But the switch to zone seemed to take Fournier’s offensive momentum away.
The former Boston Celtic continued to hit threes in space, but zone defenders did a good job of chasing him off the line. When he got inside, Fournier had little success at the rim but did draw defenders. That meant that while he had an inefficient night, Mitch and Taj Gibson were typically in a position to clean up. Those sorts of misses are almost as good as assists in my book.
The downside of this performance isn’t just some inefficiency though. Fournier’s defensive effort was fleeting once again. Some of his rotations were slow and others were nonexistent. He rarely seems to chase down a long rebound or press to make things happen. That’s unfortunate because he has more talent than his production which left him benched to close the game. Fournier gets a 2 out of 5 for his fleeting impact after the first.
Julius Randle: 13 PTS (5/20 FG, 1/5 3PT, 2/3 FT), 2 AST, 15 REB, 1 BLK, 4 TO in 38 MINS
The fourth quarter was winding down, New York was struggling to put Minnesota away, and Mike Breen was wondering aloud if Julius Randle was injured. That’s because Randle’s effort was abysmal getting through a simple screen. Randle talked about finding fun in the game on Christmas, but let a zone defense and a sophomore take him out of this one.
Randle started the game taking what the defense gave him, which were fairly open jump shots. He didn’t convert these particularly well, but they were good shots. When the Timberwolves switched to a zone, Randle’s game fell off the face of the Earth. He got blocked and stripped repeatedly on his attempts to drive, plus couldn’t make shots even with some space. To make matters worse, it bled into his effort on defense.
The one saving grace for Randle is that he rebounded really well. But defensively, he got beat down the court while hanging his head and missed rotations even when he made it back on time. His offense only ended in positive results when he cut hard and received the ball with momentum. Nothing else worked for him, but he rarely made those hard cuts. The end result is 13 points on 20 attempts, twice as many turnovers as assists, and Mike Breen being confused about a potential injury. Randle gets a 1 out of 5 for letting Jaden McDaniels own their match-up.
Mitchell Robinson: 14 PTS (7/8 FG, 0/2 FT), 18 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 32 mins
It’s safe to say that Mitchell Robinson is all the way back. His presence on the interior was the difference between a needed win and a brutal loss. Mitch was a constant threat as rim-runner, representing an easy target for ball-handlers. Even when they missed, the ball handlers could count on Robinson to clean up the offensive glass for an array of putbacks and dunks.
His impact at the rim wasn’t reserved only for offense. Despite clocking just one block, Mitch was constantly changing shots at the rim. He challenged opponents and caused a few to pull up short, throw the ball away, or just turn back. Minnesota’s ball-handlers were consistently rushing shots to avoid the rotating shot blocker. Mitch made it easier for perimeter defenders to chase shooters off the three-point line because he’d cover for everybody at the rim.
This version of Mitchell Robinson makes everyone better. His gravity on the roll meant easy looks for players like Evan Fournier when they drove. By blocking shots at the rim, Mitch made it easier for players to recover through screens or sprint at an open shooter. When everything else failed (which it did plenty in this game), Mitch was creating second chances with boards or drawn loose ball fouls. Robinson gets a 4.5 out of 5 for putting the Knicks on his back when their stars were struggling.
Quentin Grimes comes off the bench and closes the game
Alec Burks: 7 PTS (2/4 FG, 2/2 3PT, 1/4 FT), 2 AST, 2 REB, 1 TO in 16 mins
It wasn’t a great performance for Alec Burks, but he closed strong in his limited minutes. Burks started the game by getting to the line and missing his free throws. He struggled to get open and threw up a couple of ugly shots trying to draw whistles on soft contact. His rough start may have contributed to fewer minutes on the floor, although the back-to-back schedule may have also played a role.
Fourth-quarter Burks did make a brief appearance. The microwave scorer finally shook free in the late portions of this game. He knocked down a pair of open looks at long range at timely intervals. It wasn’t enough to make everything he did click, but it did tip Burks from a disappointing game to decent numbers in a low-minute night. The only problem is that most of his production came on just those last couple of shots.
Burks is shifting back into a bench role and the adjustment ought to take a bit of time. If he’d knocked down the free throws or gotten an extra whistle or two, his performance would have looked better overall. That’s the problem with playing in short intervals, you only get a few chances to stand out. But the scorer made sure to cash in his chances later in the game and those turned out to be important shots. He gets a respectable 2 out of 5 off the bench.
Immanuel Quickley: 6 PTS (2/5 FG, 2/4 3PT), 4 AST, 1 STL in 15 mins
Immanuel Quickley’s game felt quiet but boasted some of my favorite secondary contributions. He was the distributor off the bench, creating some nice opportunities for his teammates. IQ might be the best player on the team at spotting a mismatch in the post and lobbing the ball into an advantageous position. He made all of the simple reads and used ball-handling to create some extra assist opportunities. His playmaking skills are building and his elusive control of the rock help make him a formidable threat.
IQ was also recognizable on defense. He did suffer from bigger guys shooting right over the top of him, but like Kemba Walker, he stayed in front of his assignments. The sophomore has become a much more consistent defender, especially on the ball where he can harass players into difficult shots. IQ and Grimes made for a difficult tandem along the perimeter on both ends of the floor.
Quickley only got 15 minutes, which was odd, to say the least. Fournier struggled after the first, Burks struggled until the fourth, and IQ played a consistent yet self-contained game throughout. He wasn’t rewarded with extra time in spite of other wings struggling. Instead, he lost time to Grimes that should have come from struggling players. The minutes cut leaves Quickley with “solid for a bench piece” numbers and a 2 out of 5 on impact, but I hope he gets more time against Detroit.
Quentin Grimes: 11 PTS (4/11 FG, 3/9 3PT), 2 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL in 31 mins
For as much hype as his shooting generates, I think Quentin Grimes’s defense is the even bigger deal. New York has plenty of guys that can hit a three but nobody defends like their rookie first-round pick. Grimes forced two turnovers from ball denial, drew an offensive foul, and should have forced an additional turnover in the last minute of a close game.
That’s not to say his jumper isn’t equally impressive. After Grimes knocked down his first three-pointer along the baseline, he immediately took and made a contested shot from deeper out. He’s got unlimited confidence and a quick release that positions him as New York’s best answer to a zone defense. He also showed off an ability to beat closeouts off the dribble and spot teammates through the crowd.
Grimes got more minutes than any of New York’s wings, including the starters. He earned that right behind quality play and contributions at both ends. He’s clearly the best perimeter defender on the team and as long as his shot is falling, he’s a two-way player that can help any line-up. Grimes gets a 3.5 out of 5 for another great performance.
Taj Gibson: 7 PTS (3/4 FG, 0/1 3PT, 1/2 FT), 6 REB in 16 mins
Taj Gibson did some work as the backup center and then a bit more work in spot minutes at power forward. In both cases, he found ways to fit into his units and produce. At center, Taj showed off superior hands to the other big bodies and completed some nice plays. He also proved willing to dribble which is shockingly rare from our typical center rotation. At power forward, he helped on the boards and even spaced the floor.
Taj got an important rebound and created second-chance points in his second stint on the floor. It was slightly bittersweet because I think all of the backup minutes at 4 should go to Obi. But Gibson contributed in that role because that’s just what he does. The savvy vet will find ways to make a difference regardless of his role or position. His effort and intelligence almost guarantee results.
Taj only got 16 minutes of action, and that’s all Thibs needed. Mitch was fantastic at center; Randle is always going to get a lot of minutes, and Obi was good too. The front-court rotation didn’t demand much more from Taj than to cover for guys while they rested. He did his job well and managed to produce good numbers for the brief amount of action that he saw. Gibson gets a 2.5 out of 5 for good scoring and rebounding in a short amount of time.
Obi Toppin: 7 PTS (3/3 FG, 1/1 3PT), 3 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 11 mins
As I’ve written on far too many occasions, Obi Toppin deserved more minutes than he got. He showed quite a bit in just eleven minutes. First, he flashed playmaking including a drive and dump off to Gibson. He showed off touch around the basket with a tip-in and an acrobatic finish along the baseline. Then he knocked down a three as well.
Toppin passed up an open look and picked up a turnover shortly after in the fourth. That shouldn’t have been enough to cut his night early, but it was. Obi had done more than enough to warrant more time, his production and efficiency speak for themselves.
An uninspired effort reflects poorly on Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau:
This game reflected a lot of the issues that have plagued New York against better teams. They pulled off a win, but it’s easy to wonder if the result would have been the same if Minnesota had a couple of its better pieces available. The starters lost the momentum that their bench had built up in the second quarter. Those same players had a weak start to the third and barely held on in the fourth. As has become routine, the Knicks’ bench outperformed the starters despite missing their leader.
The starting unit collapsed because they couldn’t consistently punish a zone defense. It was Chicago switching to a zone in the early oughts of this season that began a spiral into mediocrity. Months later, the Knicks still couldn’t make enough shots or get inside consistently to break the defense. Instead, they floundered and gave up momentum. It took a slew of offensive boards to bail them out.
Thibs does get some credit for going back to RJ in the fourth quarter and playing Grimes over 30 minutes. Those choices proved crucial to the victory. But he gets docked some for cutting into IQ and Obi’s playtime. He also takes a hit for letting Randle’s effort and body language become such a poor reflection on this game. Thibs gets a 2 out of 5, but we can bump that to a 2.5 or even 3 if the players who saw their minutes cut were saved for this Detroit game.
Closing Thoughts
At this point, I’m not about to complain too hard when the Knicks finally made it two wins in a row. I’ve wanted these guys to build some momentum for literal months at this point. But this win came with the same blemishes that cost New York games against healthy competition. I’m not confident they could have won this game if Karl Anthony Towns or Anthony Edwards were around to boost Minnesota’s offense. That’s a little disheartening.
There’s a silver lining in close wins against depleted teams. New York was the depleted team just a couple of weeks ago. Players are just getting back into the line-up from long breaks without any work due to quarantine. This is a soft spot in the schedule that means they can shake off the rust and regain their rhythms without hurting the bottom line. Conditioning might explain some of the abnormalities in minutes distribution too.
Next up, New York faces an even more depleted Detroit Pistons team for the second leg of their back-to-back. According to ESPN’s depth chart, the Pistons have a good chance of suiting up a dedicated ball-boy or manager like it’s Senior Night in a High School game. That makes this a huge opportunity to make it three wins in a row and truly build momentum. We’ll find out soon enough, and I’ll be here to discuss the developments after the Pistons game. See you then Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. In case you missed it, check out Knicks Weekly where CP, JD, and Alex get into an interesting debate about trading Evan Fournier.
