An assist from RJ Barrett to Obi Toppin closed out the Knicks 100 – 93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, a comeback led by New York’s youngest players. Immanuel Quickley and Kevin Knox sparked the offense with Dennis Smith Jr, RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Mitchell Robinson all making significant contributions.
The game started off concerning, the starters had trouble with a Cavalier team that was missing key players. What’s worse they faced another zone defense and lacked the three-point shooting to break it. But Quickley brought aggressive play and Kevin Knox found his jumper in time for the late game heroics.
Let’s run it back and see how everyone performed:
Elfrid Payton: Although he created well for others, Elfrid Payton’s game lacked a much needed scoring punch. But for his shooting woes it was a nondescript night for the point guard. The zone defense left Payton in space often, but he failed to capitalize.
Payton put up 5 points, 7 assists and 2 rebounds in 25 minutes of play. He went 2/12 from the field and 0/4 from three. The Knicks need more from their starting PG than Payton was able to offer in this one.
RJ Barrett: If any player has looked poised for a big season, it’s RJ Barrett. The sophomore had an efficient game scoring and continues to make strides creating for others. The one piece of the puzzle that hasn’t come into play yet is the three ball. Without range to break Cleveland’s zone, Barrett instead made some nice drive and kicks but none of the Knicks shot well enough to take advantage. Even in terrible spacing, the former top three pick found ways to be productive though.
The Maple Mamba dropped 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists on 6/12 from the field and 1/4 from three. He did so in a team leading 33 minutes. RJ has attacked pick and roll possessions well and made some nice reads to find other players open, while also scoring both inside and from midrange. If he can knock down the jumper from a few more feet out, he could be in line for a break out year…
But Barrett’s going to need consistent touches to do that. At times it feels like Barrett is the third option for the team behind lead guard Payton and big man Randle. Both of those players need the ball in hand to be at their best and neither player offers much in the way of off ball help or space. RJ’s game seems ready to evolve but it also seems to fit better with the skill sets of the young players he closed the game next to rather than the vets he started with.
Reggie Bullock: With Alec Burks out, Reggie Bullock moved into a starting role as the would-be best shooter in the unit. For the second game in a row, Bullock got a lot of good looks but couldn’t knock them down. Just like his point guard, Bullock had a forgettable night with missed jumpers being the only standout.
The returning Knick spent 23 minutes collecting 7 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist to 2 turnovers. He managed that production on just 3/9 shooting and 1/6 from three. Despite the poor numbers, Bullock wasn’t forcing much of anything. He just couldn’t cash in the open looks that Payton and Barrett generated for him. It’s been a disappointing preseason so far for one of the Knicks’ more reliable wings of last season.
Julius Randle: There were good signs in Julius Randle’s performance Wednesday, but there were moments of futility that dragged down his performance. While Randle made some nice passes early, this night will probably be remembered most for Randle driving headlong into traffic for a turnover that left Clyde Frazier saying something along the lines of “that’s why Knicks fans get so mad.” Even on a night of efficient scoring and fewer forces, the passes that Randle missed leapt off the screen.
The big man pulled together 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 29 minutes of action. He shot 7/10 from the field, 0/2 from three and 4/6 from the free throw line. He led the Knicks in free throw attempts which is a nice touch. The efficiency is solid and the starters have all had a nice share of FGA’s throughout this preseason. It feels like Randle is making an effort to do things he’ll have to in order for this team to gel; but years of bad habits creep into his play.
I’d also like to highlight Randle’s defensive effort in the third quarter. He’s much maligned on that end of the floor, but he had some nice moments of aggression in the third. The big man showed nice hands in a steal that led to easy points during a period where the offense needed anything for some momentum.
Mitchell Robinson: Within a few minutes of his first start of the year, Mitchell Robinson had picked up two quick fouls that relegated him to the bench. Then Mitch bounced back with a strong second quarter only to run into more foul trouble in the third. Mitch bounced back one more time for a huge defensive impact in the fourth quarter. It felt like Robinson needed to make mistakes in order to snap into a more disciplined approach in both halves. But as soon as he locked in, the shot blocker’s impact was on full display.
Despite foul trouble, Robinson managed to stay on the floor for 32 minutes, 13 points, 10 rebounds an assist and 4 blocks. His match-up with Andre Drummond was a mixed bag, with his best moments in second quarter post defense. Against everybody else, Mitch was a force the whole way. He was a terror on the offensive boards, his gravity inside opened up shooting space and cutting lanes. Most promising of all, when he was left on the floor with foul trouble, he took a more disciplined approach.
Much has been made of Robinson’s preseason struggles, mainly due to bad fouls. He still had bursts of fouling that could have cost him an otherwise strong night. But this felt like a step forward even with plenty to work on.
Dennis Smith Jr: The first PG off the bench continued to be Dennis Smith Jr and his struggles managing the offense continued early. DSJ continued to seem tentative when it came to attacking the defense; at times forcing things and at others waiting too long to act at all. But I couldn’t help but root for the kid because his defensive play was absolutely inspired. He put a ton of pressure on the ball and jumped passing lanes, bringing energy that helped make up for some mistakes.
Smith put up 8 points, 4 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks in 16 minutes of action. He finished shooting an efficient 3/6 from the field and 2/4 from three. The turnovers he forced helped to create transition opportunities where his offensive game looked much better. When Quickley came in as an additional ball handler, Smith seemed much more comfortable overall and that’s when the three started falling.
Make no mistake about it, half court sets have been tough to watch with DSJ as lead ball handler. But he showed more heart and effort on Wednesday than we saw all of last tumultuous season. There’s still upside to his game, especially if he takes to defending with the effort that he showed in this one.
Immanuel Quickley: Immanuel Quickley came into the game for a struggling squad and made things happen. As soon as he touched the ball, he was focused on attacking the defense and the results were there despite some shortcomings efficiency wise. He was the brightest spot on a night when a lot of young players found ways to shine.
Quickley earned 25 minutes to produce 9 points and 7 assists to 2 TO’s. He shot 3/11 from the field and 1/6 from three but just being willing to shoot in space he created a ton of gravity. Quickley drew closeouts and attacked them with nice pump fakes and strong first steps. His touch on floaters made him dangerous when he got his feet into the paint, which happened frequently. Once the shooting and inside touch drew more attention, he punished the defense with lobs to big men. In short, IQ looked like the Knicks best point guard out there.
That’s not to ignore some blemishes. The rookie forced some of his shots and also missed some open looks. He’s known for his jumper, so no one should be too worried but the three has to fall for his efficacy to continue. I have to throw in that Quickley also showed savvy when drawing reaching fouls. Twice in a row, IQ felt contact and immediately went to a shooting motion. He didn’t get the free throws, but it was another sign of intelligent guard play that even Clyde complimented.
Kevin Knox: Finally, the training camp hype for Kevin Knox went beyond talk and showed up on the floor. The young forward was quiet early but absolutely exploded in the fourth quarter. It took one three pointer falling for the flood gates to open with Knox. Suddenly, Kev was grabbing tough defensive boards and sparking transition offense. The youngster was moving well off the ball and shooting in space his motion created. Then there was the passing…Knox was infamous for a lack of court awareness and control in his first two seasons, but this preseason has seen some of his best passes as a pro.
Knox played 22 minutes and posted 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists on 5/8 from the field, 3/5 from three and 3/4 from the free throw line. The fact that most of this production came in a single outburst speaks to the former lottery picks upside. He has the tools to take over a game offensively if his shot is falling and he’s locked in mentally.
My standout play of the night for Knox came without touching the offensive side of the floor. He grabbed a tough defensive rebound in traffic and immediately shot a pass up the floor to RJ Barrett who had leaked out on the break. It was a combination of toughness inside and situational awareness that Knicks fans have been dying to see from a player with tools like Knox. Hopefully this is the start of something.
Obi Toppin: The zone defense continued to take away some of Obi Toppin’s most effective spots on the floor, but he responded much better in his second run against it. Toppin knocked down a pretty midrange jumper early, then did his work inside with cuts and dunks. The Knicks top pick didn’t settle for waiting outside and by moving without the ball, he was able to become a lob target for teammates, ending the game with the highlight of the night.
Toppin played 31 minutes and managed 8 points and 7 boards in that time. It’s far from monster production but it was a promising showing from a brand new pro. Toppin went 4/6 from the field and 0/2 from three, everything he took inside went in. Settling for the three-point shot on fewer occasions and building his game from the inside out is exactly what I want to see from Obi.
The adjustments that we saw from Obi against the zone make me hopeful about his b-ball IQ. The last trip out was a bit of a nightmare for Toppin with struggles handling the ball and shooting. He addressed that by doing his work off the ball to receive it in better spots. While he builds on his game, that’s the type of shift in mindset that I like to see. He didn’t shrink or back down, he just found a different way to be productive. I can’t wait for the Garden to be full again when this kid dunks. It’s going to be special.
Omari Spellman: Mitchell Robinson’s early foul trouble opened 5 minutes of play for Omari Spellman. It wasn’t enough to make much of a read, but I did like a couple of things about the brief stint. Spellman proved a willing shooter at C which is something the Knicks might need as opponents continue to deploy zone defenses. The young big man also put together some solid defensive reps during his time on the floor. He draws an incomplete grade on this one for lack of minutes played, but I wouldn’t mind seeing more opportunities thrown his way.
Tom Thibodeau: You could almost envision the doomsayers circling as the Knicks nightmare third quarter went on. Tom Thibodeau did little to nothing in adjusting his rotation for yet another zone defense taking advantage of the Knicks’ poor shooting. But there was also a bit of “what can you do?” in the mix. Alec Burks was out and the other wing shooters had failed up to that point despite getting good looks. There were G-league options and end of bench pieces that Thibs could have tapped, but he stuck to his rotation…and it worked out.
A very real bright spot of the way Thibodeau has set his rotation is that the young prospects are all playing together often. As much as we’re dying to watch young up and comers work, it isn’t helpful to a DSJ or Quickley to watch Payton and Randle operate the offense from a baseline. Obi Toppin’s chemistry with Mitchell Robinson is much more crucial to long term success than his chemistry with any vets.
Toppin was the oldest player on the floor for an extended period where the Knicks went on a run. The Knicks five most recent draft picks were the players to close this one out. None of these young guys looked discouraged despite early struggles, instead they looked hungry. That’s a far cry from the shell shocked faces we saw from some of these same young guys in prior seasons. It’s way to early to credit Thibs and his staff for any evolution, but it’s a promising start to things. So an overall mixed bag for Thibs, but the vibes are good after this one.
Closing Thoughts: Game one was about not getting too excited, game two was about not getting too discouraged and this third game is about not reading too deeply into any of it yet. The Knicks three-point shooting is still horrifying, but Burks was out and Knox came around. Immanuel Quickley showed flashes of lead guard mentality, but that was against third stringers so we should temper it a bit. For now, I’m less interested in wins, losses or any box score results. This preseason is about looking for flashes, growth and mindsets.
I like what I’m seeing early and while I expect this season to be a tough one, it could end up being a lot of fun if the prospects become true players before all is said and done.
Check out CP and J. Ellis’ recap of the Knicks vs. Cavs game below.
