The short-handed Knicks had a historically bad shooting night, losing to Toronto 83-100. The game was competitive through three quarters and even some of the fourth thanks to a spirited defensive effort.
New York was within three points with just eight minutes left when Toronto knocked down consecutive three pointers and never looked back. The problem for Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks came down to three-point shooting once again.
Toronto relied heavily on a zone defense and stacking the paint. This forced slashers to kick the ball outside and the Knicks got plenty of open looks but they couldn’t convert. Thibodeau’s starting line-up went 0/23 from three and the bench didn’t help much either, going 3/13. That meant the Knicks never broke that zone and once the 8-man rotation slowed down on defense, Toronto sprinted to an easy finish.
It was an ugly game, tough to watch in stints but it’s not all bad. Some players still flashed promising signs, especially the budding Julius Randle and debuting Austin Rivers. Let’s take a closer look at the performances.
Knicks Starters
Elfrid Payton: Toronto spent most of the night daring Elfrid Payton to shoot. The Knicks point guard started the game struggling, mainly because he wasn’t scoring inside. As he saw single coverage even constantly, Payton began to attack inside with a focus on finishing. That translated to efficient scoring numbers and eventually some playmaking as the game wore on. But Payton was never able to break the zone down enough to be consistently productive for others.
In 23 minutes of play, Payton dropped 14 points, 4 assists to 2 TO’s and 3 rebounds. He shot 7/12 from the floor and 0/2 from three. You might note the point guard had his minutes trimmed despite solid production. That’s because Payton’s a probing sort of point guard, a style that makes zone defenses look like the Illest Villains in a superhero movie. Payton’s inability to shoot left him probing the perimeter, back and forth like an Accordion or otherwise settling for floaters. It’s notable that Payton is cutting inside when he’s off-ball more often though, RJ Barrett found him twice for easy lay-ups.
Payton grabs a 2.5 out of 5 for at least taking what the defense gave him. He’s cutting more often and starting to look for his own shot inside. Payton was at least efficient where almost everyone else struggled. But his inability to break a zone is going to be hurt until some shooters get healthy. Payton must be even more aggressive, attack more quickly, and make himself a legitimate threat to take a shot on every foray into the lane. Otherwise, the paint will be a Meat Grinder for everyone else he shares the court with.
Reggie Bullock: The streaky play continued for Reggie Bullock who followed his best shooting night of the season with his absolute worse. Bullock had plenty of open looks to feast on but the Bistro was closed. The Raptors were never forced to respect Bullock’s jumper and became increasingly comfortable lagging off him. By the time Toronto made their fourth quarter run, Bullock was showing some hesitance – passing up shots and still missing when he did shoot.
Bullock played 38 minutes for 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block. He shot 3/15 from the field and 0/9 from three. He had the second most FGAs on the team but 5 other players in the 8-man rotation made as many or more field goals. If anyone could lead an air Raid it was supposed to be Reggie Bullock. Instead, he led the Knicks to America’s Most Blunted three-point offense in a single game.
Bullock gets a 1 out of 5 for this one. The team desperately needed shooting and he couldn’t deliver. His defense wasn’t particularly good either. Norman Powell produced comfortably all night. That meant the Knicks only shooter available and top perimeter defender provided no three’s and little defensive impact.
RJ Barrett: The slump continued as RJ Barrett was the least efficient player on the Knicks again. RJ’s jumper is gone, and the zone defense meant there was no space for bully ball inside. That leaves Barrett with a Sick Fit among the starters, unable to stretch the floor or operate in the places that he’d be most successful. To make matters worse, the sophomore is pressing to find his shot. Barrett settled for long jumpers despite not being able to hit anything. He even did so when there were open players with better looks available.
RJ concluded 37 minutes of play with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists to 3 turnovers. That production is shaky and comes on 4/19 from the field, 0/8 from three and 4/5 from the free throw line. Even his limited production comes with the caveat that he picked up his free throws in garbage time against third stringers. Almost nothing went right here, but there was a nifty pass worth highlighting. Barrett rifled a pass from the top of the key to a cutting Elfrid Payton in what was the nicest assist of the game. It may only count for two points, but it flashes the kid’s playmaking potential.
A 1 out of 5 for Barrett marks both starting wings with terrible scores. The Knicks attempted 36 three-pointers with Bullock and Barrett taking and missing 17 of them. It’s not going to be all Rainbows and butterflies for the kid, but it shouldn’t be this ugly or forced either. The midrange jumper may be discouraged in the modern game, but maybe a pull-up from midrange will get Barrett some separation and space. He’s smothered on drives and can’t make a three; RJ needs to find effective offense.
Julius Randle: It’s weird to call any blowout loss a statement game for somebody, but the fact that Julius Randle continued to make the right pass on a bad team shooting night ticks off a box in my book. Toronto didn’t just use the zone defense to keep Randle out of the paint. They also sent hard double teams the big man’s way and refused to let him be comfortable on the ball. Randle responded by finding the open man consistently. His shot came down to Earth, but the rest of Randle’s game was fully intact and effective despite double-teams and a zone defense collapsing on him.
Randle notched 16 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists to 3 turnovers on 5/12 from the field, 0/4 from three and 6/7 free throws. He had fewer passing options than other nights because no one could shoot and we saw less cutters inside or Curls. The big man’s three-point shot was back on Do Not Fire mode, but none of his offense felt particularly forced. He cashed enough buckets when he got the step inside to fill a Money Folder.
This is a step back for Randle thanks to everything stacked against him. He still managed a 3.5 out of 5 on the performance and that was with very little help for most of the night. The big man displayed discipline in adversity. He didn’t force the issue even when other players were doing so. He could have fallen into old habits but never did. If this is how he performs with the deck stacked against him than the Shadows of Tomorrow loom large and promising. He’s not just sticking to the game plan when everything works, the buy-in is real.
Mitchell Robinson: Another player effected by the zone defense was Mitchell Robinson, who almost never got a free lane to the rim even off-ball. Robinson’s defense was mixed bag as well, brought down by the second chance points Toronto scored on offensive rebounds. But Mitch is still on Operation Lifesaver whenever a player gets beat off the dribble in front of him. Outside of some rainbows from FVV, the Raptors rarely tried to challenge New York inside.
Mitch played 25 minutes and scored 4 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals on 2/4 from the field. With Toronto generating most offense from outside, the shot blocker rarely got a chance to show off his best attribute. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t astounding sequences on defense. On one play in particular, Mitch chased a shooter off the three-point line and stuck with him all the way into the lane never biting on any head fakes or cheating with his hands. When Mitch chains defensive skills together like a Figaro, his defensive range pops like few other big men in the league.
I’m tagging Robinson with a 2.5 out of 5. His numbers are underwhelming but the gravity that he has as a rim runner is there even in quiet games. Elfrid Payton’s scoring owes credit to Toronto sticking on Mitch. The big man still got an alley-oop dunk when he found space, but there are far fewer lob opportunities this year…that means more opportunities for ball handlers to finish inside. Defensively, the team is better with Mitch out there and that’s a big statement when Nerlens Noel is his back-up.
Knicks Bench
Austin Rivers: The Knicks debut for Austin Rivers began with a baseline drive and kick to Kevin Knox for three. After not playing 5-on-5 since before preseason started, Rivers still managed to show quick trigger decision making that had the offense better as a whole. He didn’t make his three’s, but just the threat of a jumper from Rivers was enough to add a new dimension to the Knicks attack. That’s probably why Tom Thibodeau trusted Rivers at PG in the fourth quarter.
Rivers grabbed 21 minutes of play and put up 7 points, 5 assists to 1 turnover, 1 rebound and 1 steal. He was 3/6 from the field and 1/4 from three. The biggest thing to leap off the screen was that Rivers mad snappy decisions that almost always aimed to attack. It’s not Hardcore Hustle play, but he instinctively looks for ways to pressure a defense.
For giving the offense a new look, Rivers grabs a 3 out of 5 in his debut. The numbers might not scream, “above average” but the way the ball moved while he was present says enough. Statistics can make us react in Strange Ways when something is right in front of our faces. Rivers was the best Knicks point guard last night. That’s not because Payton was bad, it’s because Rivers was more aggressive and brought a more diverse attack.
Kevin Knox: Tampa Knox was on display and that meant a more aggressive brand of Kevin Knox. He started the first half looking a bit nervous, air-balling a floater but he closed by almost yamming on an opponent. No Fancy Clown stuff last night. Knox hit shots early and then attacked off the dribble against pressure. A hand injury sapped his effectiveness in the second half, but his scoring threat and effort made a bigger dent in the Toronto defense than other wings could muster.
The third year Forward put up 16 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist to 2 turnovers in 32 minutes of play. The Knicks needed every minute that Kev could muster despite his efficiency dipping as the game wore on. Knox shot 5/14 from the field, 2/8 from three and 4/5 from the free throw line. Even missing almost twice as many attempts as he made, Knox was the biggest scoring threat the Knicks had on the wing. He played hungry and his athleticism helped where other wings couldn’t capitalize inside or out.
I’ve had my Eye out for a breakout game from Knox since his motor has looked upbeat. This felt like the game to take that spot. But the forward’s hand injury really changed his second half impact despite his effort never waning. For a great overall but inefficient effort, I’m giving Knox a 2.5 out of 5. Perhaps most importantly, he continues to play respectable defense which was his biggest flaw in the past.
Nerlens Noel: I think 15 to 20 minutes of play is about right for Nerlens Noel. His defensive impact was clear, and there was less time for Noel to fumble a tricky pass or pick-up multiple turnovers. The staples of Noel’s game are clear. He’s a smart defensive big with limited offense, strong inside on defense but just okay inside on the opposite end with no perimeter game to speak on.
In 18 minutes of play, Noel went 3/5 from the field for 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block and 1 turnover. He’s a steady piece. Opposing teams don’t hear a Supervillian Theme when Noel takes the floor. But they do feel his presence whenever they want to score.
This one rates a 2.5 out of 5 because Noel did exactly what Thibodeau needed out of his minutes. This wasn’t a spot for the big man to break out and save the team. He’s not a zone breaker. But Noel produced despite the traffic and held his own inside. My biggest disappointment was that he didn’t box out particularly well. So Toronto outworked New York for offensive boards whether it was Mitch or Nerlens out there. Still…this was a solid game.
Harper, Pinson, Iggy: These guys got 3 minutes or less in garbage time. I will add a note that in his little bit of time, Jared Harper got to the free throw line more than 5 of the players in Thibs’ 8-man rotation each of whom played a minimum of 6 times as many minutes.
Tom Thibodeau: With so many injuries, it’s hard to come up with a fair way to evaluate Tom Thibodeau’s early performances. He’s running an 8-man rotation out of necessity and changing the pieces within it based on the injury report. I’ll say in All Caps, THE KNICKS NEED SHOOTERS! Burks and Quickley are sorely missed on the perimeter. Frank’s recent shooting could have helped too. Omari Spellman is probably their best shooting option at C. So a lot of the weapons Thibodeau might use to break a zone simply are not available.
When Thibodeau gets enough pieces to play 10 guys again, I’m sure it will be a Great Day for the coach. For now, he’s forced to play guys for big minutes in a smaller rotation. I think part of the Knicks failure both shooting and in late-game defense came as a result of tired legs. Fatigue and frustration are a dangerous combination for any team, let alone a young squad that doesn’t have reinforcements to help off the bench.
Thibs scores a 2.5 out of 5 for the level of effort that the Knicks maintained. They did look hesitant late, but never looked like they were quitting. It was just the accumulation of missed shots and fatigue that catching up to them. Randle continues to be a beacon of hope for how much this staff can accomplish and the mentality shifts of others aren’t hard to spot either. Paupers in 2020 might look like Rhinestone Cowboys by the end of ’21 and the coaching staff is behind that magic.
Closing Thoughts
The Knicks left 2020 with a bad game and a 2-3 record. But 2 wins in those first five games is probably more than most people expected. They haven’t laid an egg effort wise yet. Growing pains are bound to happen but at least we’re seeing a team that wants to compete. After years where the team seemed hapless and would quit at the first sign of adversity, I’m on board to keep seeing how this goes. If Randle’s trust, Robinson’s discipline, and Knox’s aggression continue to develop; I expect the fruits of that labor to be much clearer after 60 games rather than five.
It’s been a challenging year for everybody. But we can all look at 2021 with the same lens that the Knicks probably are, as a chance to make meaningful changes. So it’s Happy New Year to the whole Knicks fam from the KFTV crew and to everyone that reads this far down. R.I.P to those we lost this year, MF DOOM in particular. He was a creative genius with a sound that was uniquely his own while being hip hop through and through. So I’m spending my New Year’s Day looking forward to days to come, carrying wisdom from the past and bumping Madvillainy like it’s my first time hearing a classic. Happy New Year!
Check out CP and J. Ellis’ Post-Game Live show after the Knicks vs. Raptors game below.
