Welcome to part III of the Knicks Pulse Check! Where we update the fans with the continuing trends of the New York Knicks.
When we last left part II of Knicks Pulse Check, I was telling fans to temper their expectations given the gauntlet of teams the Knicks were about to face in December (this was WITH a healthy Michell Robinson). Fast forward and the orange and blue rounded off a more than respectable five wins – including beating the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and Milwaukee Bucks over this 10-game set. That being said, the effect of Robinson’s season-ending injury has been felt all over the team, most notably with their defense. Overall, the Knicks still possess the NBA’s 8th-best net rating (down three spots from last check-in) and 9th-best offensive rating (up three spots from last check-in), however, they’ve slipped from a team with a top-three defensive rating all the way down to 14th in the league, per NBA stats.
Although Isaiah Hartenstein has filled in admirably for Mitch, one has to wonder if coach Thibodeau can continue to employ the same defensive strategies without an elite rim-protector. Or will he need to switch things up? In the same breath, will Leon Rose and the front office stand pat, or will they look to bolster their frontline in the near future?
December 8th – December 27th (5-5) Overall – (17-13)
Missing Mitch
Mitchell Robinson’s play this season helped vault his name into early conversations for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Prior to his injury, the Knicks were ranked as a top-ten team in defensive rating, and Mitch was ranked first in offensive rebounds per game. For a team that has ranked towards the bottom-half of the league in field goal percentage for most of the season, Robinson’s second and third efforts on the boards were always noticed and appreciated by fans. It goes without saying, that he will be missed.
With that being said, it begs the question: what will the Knicks do to make up for Mitch’s absence? It would be too difficult to expect Hartenstein to, suddenly, become an elite offensive rebounder. Over the last nine games (the number of games Mitch has been out), the Knicks are 14th in the league in offensive rebounding, a stark contrast from their top-three ranking with the Blockness Monster in the starting lineup.
However, since Hartenstein has taken over the center position, the team’s pace has improved, jumping from 28th position in the league to 10th since Mitch’s injury. Furthermore, during that time, the Knicks were ranked sixth in the league in field-goal percentage, and it’s not hard to see why – Hartenstein’s fluid movement and skilled passing create advantages for the Knicks’ offense that were not always present with Mitch at center.
Thus far, the Knicks have chosen to steer heavily into making their offense as efficient as possible (minus the misuse the Immanuel Quickley’s minutes) as opposed to trying to replicate their defense without Mitch. As soon Jericho Sims went down with an injury, the front office signed Westchester Knicks center Dmytro Skapintsev to a two-way contract. For the time being, it looks like the orange and blue are going to stand pat and shift their philosophy to fit the remaining healthy players on the roster.
RJ down bad
Damn, I really miss RJ Barrett being good at basketball *cue up the Vince McMahon crying meme*. But seriously?! I wanted to take a breath and make sure I was as calm and as settled as possible before writing this section of the article. I have nothing against RJ Barrett the person – he’s an incredibly hard worker, and by all accounts, he’s been a great teammate and a very coachable player. However, I think I’m as close to being OUT on RJ Barrett, as a key member of this franchise going forward, as I’ve ever been during his five-year career.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Barrett ranks within the 16th percentile in effective field-goal percentage and within the 23rd percentile in shot accuracy at the rim. If we switch the stats platform, the news doesn’t get much better. Although I don’t agree, for some reason, NBAstats.com considers RJ a guard. Of all starting guards averaging at least 29 or more minutes per game with at least 20 games this season, RJ ranks 47th out of a possible 48 players in effective field-goal percentage. In regards to true shooting percentage, RJ ranks 43rd out of 48 players within the same parameters – and truth be told – the only reason he’s not lower is because he’s shooting 83.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Going into this season, fans were expecting “the leap”, but I just don’t see it coming anytime soon. To his credit, RJ has improved his free-throwing shooting, but his lack of accuracy at the rim, combined with his plummeting shooting percentages, is just not going to cut it. At this point, I see no other reason to play RJ besides keeping his trade value buoyant until the Knicks can include his contract in a deal for an established star. I wish this wasn’t the truth, but I just can’t see it any other way.
Dejounte Murray to the Knicks rumors
SNY’s Ian Begley recently reported that Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray has fans within the Knicks front office. Specifically, Murray was referred to as a “great fit” next to Jalen Brunson. On the surface, Murray does bring some things to the table that the Knicks need, including another player who can create and score off the dribble to pair with Randle and Brunson. Additionally, Murray has the length to switch and defend multiple positions, which coach Thibs loves.
Positives aside, I don’t believe Murray is the Knicks’ best shot at elevating this team’s ceiling, especially since Leon Rose has been so patient with the decision to break up this core and trade draft capital or not. This past summer, Murray signed a four-year, $117 million contract extension, which doesn’t even start until the beginning of next season. And while I don’t consider his contract an overpay, I can’t see the Knicks committing $25 mil a year on average to a guard that, although he would be an upgrade over RJ Barrett, is shooting within the 22nd percentile at the rim, and ultimately, is a player who’s bread and butter lies within taking most of his shots from the mid-range.
If the Knicks are going to add another second/third tier archetype of player to pair with Brunson and Randle, I’d much rather them add a player that mirrors the Toronto Raptors’ OG Anounoby or the Sacramento Kings’ Keegan Murray’s type of game.
Heading into the next ten-game set, the Knicks are scheduled to play six games on the road, including contests against the Indiana Pacers – featuring a reunion with Obi Toppin – the Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Memphis Grizzlies who now have Ja Morant back in their lineup. The early part of this set also features a brutal stretch of six games in nine nights, with two sets of back-to-back games away from home. Moral of the story: the Knicks’ depth will be tested. Stay tuned.
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below! Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. Subscribe to the newsletter for KFTV content and events, shop discounts, and more at bit.ly/kftvmail. And in case you missed it, check out CP The Fanchise and Ben Lyons discussing their New York Knicks fandom.
