The New York Knicks are 2-1 for the In-Season Tournament. Can they defeat the Charlotte Hornets and make it to the Knockout Round?
The New York Knicks play their last game of group play for the In-Season Tournament. Standing at 2-1, there is uncertainty if the Knicks will make it to the tournament’s Knockout Round. Below is a list of scenarios that need to happen for New York to make it to the next round.
Based on all the scenarios listed, the Knicks need to win to have more control of their destiny. Plain and simple.
And while they are facing a Charlotte Hornets team without their star player in LaMelo Ball, nothing is guaranteed in the NBA, and especially for the New York Knicks.
So, without further ado, let’s see what the Knicks need to do in tonight’s game to have a greater chance of winning and solidifying their spot for the Knockout Round of the In-Season Tournament.
Knicks need to punch first
The Knicks started slow in their two most recent games (against the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns). Whether it was from an offensive standpoint of getting to their spots or defensively being locked in, New York cannot afford any opportunities to allow the Hornets to get into a groove and play catchup (for a third time in a row).
Now, some may love the thrill of a Cardiac Knick Affair. But that type of basketball is not sustainable for a winning season, especially for New York.
The Knicks are 7-1 when they lead in the first quarter. Conversely, they’re 1-6 when trailing in the first. So how the Knicks start the game is essential because this team is built on their effort. This team cannot coast to success because they’re flooded with superstar talent. Every night will be a grind for them.
Knicks need to share the rock more
New York has been a better passing team this season, and the numbers have backed that up. On the season, New York ranks 14th for passes made as a team (283.4), which is better than last year—they ranked 20th and averaged 273.5 passes made. Now, the assist numbers don’t correlate with how well the Knicks are moving the ball—they’re 25th with 22.8 assists per game—and that’s because players have to hit their shots.
But even though the Knicks aren’t racking up the assists, they’re still doing a solid job trying to share the rock amongst teammates. And it has improved as the season has progressed.
Through the first four games of the season, the Knicks averaged 268.5 passes made per game (ranked 20th), which was worse than what they averaged the previous season. But after the first four games of the year, the Knicks started moving the ball at a spectacular pace. Through the next nine games, New York averaged 296.7 passes made, which had them as the eighth-best passing team.
However, while the Knicks have been sharing the rock better this season, they have fallen back into their bad habits the past few games by reverting to isolation basketball and freezing teammates out. From the past three games, the Knicks rank 20th and average 263.7 passes made per game, which is worse than where they were at the start of the season!
Now, while the Knicks may not collect all the assists while passing, it is typical for a team’s assist numbers to drop if they’re not sharing the ball, which is what we see here. Over the last three games, the Knicks are dead last, averaging just 18.3 assists per game.
New York found great success against the Hornets by moving the ball around. In the two games they’ve played against Charlotte, New York totaled 25 and 29 assists, respectively. The Knicks will need to get back to their stellar ball movement if they want to have the same success.
Attack the rim and hit your threes!
It’s funny to say this because this is the modern way of the NBA. Many pundits complain that the league has become a three-point shooting contest with layup lines. And while that may be true for most of the league, that is not the Knicks’ brand of basketball.
New York likes to play smash-mouth ball. What’s that you ask? It’s being physical by attacking the paint or using the midrange while incorporating their physicality to create separation. Whether that is Jalen Brunson using his shoulder with his footwork to get defenders off-balance, Julius Randle bulldozing his way down the lane and getting off a floater or turnaround jumper, or RJ Barrett freight training his way to the rack, that is New York basketball.
Now, while New York has been good at getting downhill, they’ve also been great at putting up three-pointers and knocking them down (as I’ve documented in another preview).
So, for this matchup, the Knicks need to continue to work that same recipe, which was successful in the previous matchups. New York scored 62 and 48 points in the paint while shooting 41.7 (15-36) and 43.2 (16-37) percent from three in the first and second games against the Hornets, respectively. And that shouldn’t be hard to do again since the Hornets have the worst defense in the league according to defensive rating. In addition, according to Cleaning the Glass, the Hornets rank 20th and 27th when defending the accuracy of opponents scoring around the rim and hitting threes, respectively.
Knicks need to dominate the boards
Their dominance on the boards has helped the Knicks defeat the Hornets in the previous two contests. New York out-rebounded Charlotte 40 to 36 in the first matchup and 47 to 36 in the second. So, the Knicks must replicate those types of performances to succeed. That means Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein, Josh Hart, and Randle must be ready to work in the paint.
In New York’s recent game against the Suns, they got out-rebounded 17-8 (Suns had 8 offensive boards to the Knicks 2) in the first quarter. That cannot happen again.
And while the Knicks are ranked third in rebounds per game, the Hornets are ranked 11th, so they’re no slouch when it comes to crashing the glass. Hopefully, Robinson is ready to body Mark Williams again and set the tone.
Stop the Terry Rozier show
Ball will not play tonight, but that doesn’t mean the Knicks can take it easy. They will still have to focus on Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, and Brandon Miller. But the player that we should be worried about is Terry Rozier, who did not play in either of the previous matchups.
Rozier has only played in six games this season, averaging 22 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists on shooting splits of .486/.286/.769. And I don’t expect that production to slow down because since he’s been on the Hornets, he’s averaged 20 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists with shooting splits of .440/.348/.891 against New York. On top of that, the Hornets are 8-4 in all the games Terry has been available and played against the Knicks.
So New York will need to keep Terry in check, and I’d expect Grimes, Quickley, Donte, and Hart to get that assignment, depending on the rotation. The Knicks are in line to get an invitation to Las Vegas. And to give themselves a greater chance, they must take care of business tonight against the Hornets. Hopefully, they’re ready from tip-off and not having to play catchup again.
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