We are back with another KFTV Stock Exchange, and things have certainly changed! This will cover December 16th to the 31st
Young players in today’s NBA market are quite volatile. Like cryptocurrencies, they can be sky-high one day and crash back down to reality the next. In this environment, it’s best not to be swept up by emotion and to remain focused on long-term trends. So read the KFTV Stock Exchange for advice on wisely investing your time, energy, and money in the current NBA season.
KFTV Overall Knicks Report
Greetings to Cardiac Land, and welcome to James Dolan’s Wild Ride! Caution: you will surely experience a vast array of emotions on this roller coaster, and those who are sound of mind or weak of heart should consider stepping off and walking far away. But I feel that most of you are strapped in until the bitter end.
For the New York Knicks, December was a month of soaring highs and Marianas Trench-like lows. Unfortunately, the month was bookended by two horrible losses to the Dallas Mavericks (the first game was discussed in the previous KFTV Stock Exchange).
But before we get to that, let’s address the positives that December brought us: a dominant eight-game win streak. Picking up where we left off, the Knicks had strong wins over the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors. They also eked out a close one against the Indiana Pacers thanks to some clutch buckets from Jalen Brunson and critical free throws from Julius Randle.
The Knicks have oscillated wins and losses all season. A loss followed every victory, and any win streak was followed by a losing streak. The tides of fortune seemed to be turning for the Knicks, but things are not so simple in Cardiac Land.
The Raptors’ length and defensive game planning around Jalen Brunson stifled the Knicks’ offense, while Pascal Siakam dropped an unstoppable 52 points. They could have pulled out a win against the Chicago Bulls if not for uncharacteristic chokes from Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes at the free throw line. They put up a good fight against the Philadelphia 76ers, but their big three of James Harden, Joel Embiid, and *checks notes*… Georges Niang broke the stalemate quickly in the fourth quarter. Despite having two potential all-stars, the Knicks still don’t have the talent to match up with true superstars.
Speaking of true superstars… Luka Doncic dropped an unreal 60 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists game on the Knicks. While this is embarrassing enough, the Knicks somehow squandered a nine-point lead in 34 seconds. Three Knicks failed to secure the final rebound, and, in an Angels in the Outfield moment, some divine force caused the ball to float perfectly to Luka’s hands, who swished it through the net.
I’ll be honest, despite being a diehard fan, I rarely feel strong emotions when watching the Knicks. I enjoy the experience despite the outcome. Rarely do I find myself yelling at the screen. But after watching them squander that lead and wilt in overtime, I wanted to smash my laptop with a sledgehammer.
I had the overwhelming anger that Julius Randle had for locker room chairs or Amare Stoudemire toward fire extinguishers. But instead of taking my fury out on innocent, inanimate objects, I settled on watching The Boys and angrily eating kettle corn.
The second loss to the Mavs was an epic collapse that will go into the history books. The pain of a loss like this will dull over time but will never stop hurting. When Luka is inducted into the Hall of Fame, the clip of him tying the game will be replayed ad nauseam.
The subsequent loss against the Spurs felt like a return to the old Knicks: no effort, no desire, and a less-talented, hungrier team out-hustling them in all aspects. While injuries limited New York, the Knicks young guys lost to the Spurs’ young guys.
While the loss to the Dallas Mavericks stung like a murder hornet, the month of December overall was positive for the Knicks. They ended it with a record of 9-7. The young guys received a lot of playing time, and the team developed more chemistry and showed signs of gelling.
During the eight-game win streak, I urged that it was a long season and not to get too high—their opponents were mid or injured. Likewise, for the losing streak, the games were fought hard (except for the Spurs), and injuries limited the Knicks. It’s a long season, folks.
The Knicks ended the year positively with a win against the tanking Rockets. But despite the improvement, it disappoints me to value the Knicks as still mid because I don’t foresee any significant jumps or drops in value in the long term. But, in the short-term… well, strap in. James Dolan’s Wild Ride will likely get even bumpier and more convoluted.
KFTV Stock Status: Mid Once More
Miles McBride
Teams have been employing the Luke Palmer defensive strategy against Miles “Deuce” McBride: leave him wide open from three and dare him to shoot. However, Deuce is rarely hesitant to shoot, which is good and bad. Good because we can appreciate his confidence, but bad because he isn’t a knock-down shooter.
Deuce shot 54 attempts from three and converted 14 of them, meaning he shot 25.9 percent from three. And of his total made field goals, more than half were threes, which will clue you in on how effective he is on offense (26 made field goals on 79 attempts for a 32.9 shooting percentage).
With the injuries of Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett, Deuce was given the lead guard role against the Rockets and Spurs. Against the Rockets, he shot a dismal 1-10 from the field. Again, confidence is critical, but it was still ugly. Also, for every two assists, he logged one turnover; as a starter, he logged 3 assists and 5 turnovers. His offense can be thrown off with just a little bit of pressure.
One positive about Deuce is that he is not afraid of the moment. He was not scared to switch onto Luka Doncic, and he wasn’t fearful of taking the final free throws at the end of the game against the Mavericks. When the pressure was at its peak, Deuce came through and hit 3 out of 4 free throws.
Deuce is still a young player, but this month has revealed his ceiling to us. He probably won’t be a starter in the league, considering his role is strictly defense coming off the bench. Don’t come at me for this, but I do see shades of Frank Ntilikina in his game (although if Frank had half of the confidence Deuce has, then he’d be a viable player).
I don’t see any reason to be optimistic about a considerable rise in value for Deuce. In fact, I think a short position might be the one to take. Say a trade happens, or perhaps after next year’s draft, it wouldn’t be difficult for another player to take his position on the team. We can still appreciate the defensive tenacity, hustle, and intangibles Deuce brings. He is always a pleasure to watch.
KFTV Stock Status: Shorted
RJ Barrett
I’d like to take this moment to remind the audience that some people legitimately wanted to demote RJ Barrett and give the starting forward position to Cam Reddish. (These are likely the same people that will criticize Tom Thibodeau after every minor decision he makes).
Insufferable, whingy, leaf-in-the-wind fans aside, RJ had a scorching second half of December. He averaged 26.7 points on .492/.471/.683 shooting splits. During that stretch, RJ had a 30-point game against the lengthy, defensive-minded Toronto Raptors and a 44-point bomb against the Chicago Bulls. All his scoring is done outside the perimeter or inside the paint, and his mid-range game is still non-existent (he only made three during the month).
Any savvy investor foresaw this gradual improvement, which happened like clockwork. Actually, it took less time for him to warm up than it did last year. For December 2022, he averaged 21.4 points per game on .462/.424/.737 shooting splits, while in December of 2021, he was at 17.6 points per game on .407/.333/.718 splits.
Unfortunately, RJ was set back with a finger injury at the end of December. Hopefully, he can jump in right where he left off instead of taking time to warm up again.
KFTV Stock Status: Heating Up
Immanuel Quickley
Before Jalen Brunson was signed, there was an extensive debate among the fanbase about whether Immanuel Quickley could take over as the starting point guard. Considering Quickley ended last season on a high note, it was a viable argument.
Immanuel Quickley filled the role of starting point guard admirably in place of an injured Jalen Brunson. In his three starts, he had 29 assists and only four turnovers! He scored 25.5 points per game but on poor accuracy at 35.6 percent from the field. Now that we have seen how he has performed in the starting role compared to Jalen Brunson, the front office made the right choice.
His role is better as the lead guard off the bench or as an off-ball shooting guard. If this team were more committed to tanking (Thibodeau would never), then perhaps it would be more beneficial to start him. However, the team’s ceiling is significantly lower with Quickley at the helm.
KFTV Stock Status: Below Brunson
Quentin Grimes
Quentin Grimes might have all-star potential (in the vein of Kyle Korver). We knew of his potential as a lockdown 3&D player, and in December, he exceeded expectations.
Grimes scored 13.9 points per game on .458/.394/.794, along with 2.1 assists, including an overshadowed 33-point bomb against the Mavericks. He has a silky-smooth jump shot, one of the finest in the league. He also makes quick, decisive drives to the rim, breaking down defenses easily for layups or dump-off passes to big men. In addition, he consistently guards the best players on the opposing team, like James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, and Luka Doncic.
While it is impossible to stop those players, he does a solid job, and Luka’s monster 60-point game was more of a team failure than a personal one. While Grimes has a fearless attitude, we have seen him falter in big moments. Most noticeably at the free throw line against the Bulls and the Mavs.
I don’t see Grimes ascending to near all-star status just yet, but for a long position, it could be a high reward to take stock in him, among the solid returns that have already materialized.
KFTV Stock Status: Exceeding Expectations
Julius Randle
Julius Randle is an all-star. Investors who believed in his ability were rewarded with an extended bull run. His jump shot is hitting, bullying opposing players with his overwhelming strength, eating rebounds, and sharing the ball. All talks of him as a “fluke” have gone dead silent. It is clear that he has overcome whatever mental demons he struggled with last season.
Fans can speculate about possibly trading him, but hell would need to freeze over before the front office decides to do this. New York fans clamor for star talent, and now that they have one, they want to trade him. So regardless of where you sit, let’s enjoy this excellent level of play Julius has shown.
KFTV Stock Status: Very Bullish
Sell Alert!
If you haven’t already, it may be time to cut your losses and sell stock in Evan Fournier, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Cam Reddish.
Evan Fournier received playing time due to the injuries of RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson, and his return was underwhelming. He shot decently but wasn’t effective in turning around the game against the Spurs.
His return culminated in a classic Knicks moment: while losing to a less-talented, harder-working team, the Knicks started gaining momentum until they allowed the Spurs’ to score an easy layup. Fournier threw it right to the opposing player when inbounding the ball, who laid it right back up and in. Momentum killed. Game over.
To be fair, it can’t be easy to get into a groove after sitting 22 straight games, but considering his entire tenure as a Knick, there isn’t any reason to be optimistic about Evan Fournier.
Cam Reddish remains missing, despite being the most talented player on the bench. Seeing him continue to sit is baffling, especially when the team needed defensive length and a scoring boost.
Thibodeau has urged Cam to “stay ready,” which means we may see Cam play again soon. But considering the significant losses investors have seen already, especially those who may have gone all in toward the beginning of the season, it may be better to sell.
Isaiah Hartenstein seemed like a solid signing in the off-season. Yet, he hasn’t been very effective on the court. He is playing out of position due to Obi Toppin’s injury, but Hartenstein’s average of 4.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and .8 assists per game is underwhelming. It may be worth holding or even buying some stock, considering his value is at the resistance level. Still, there is no reason to be hopeful about a significant increase in value.
Additional Sell Alert! Anticipate a Loss on Matinee Games!
Since the 2021-22 season and up until the Christmas game against the 76ers, the Knicks have a 2-11 record in matinee games. Perhaps the New York nightlife leaves the players lethargic, or maybe the New York traffic is just that mentally taxing. Regardless, matinee games have been cursed up to the end of December.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out Dan from Miami’s call to hear the ONLY move the Knicks need to make!
