Welcome to part VII of the Knicks Pulse Check! Where we update the fans with the continuing trends of the New York Knicks.
As we come down the back-stretch of the NBA season, the New York Knicks are fighting for a top seed in the Eastern Conference – currently sitting in 4th place, but only a half-game out of 3rd place. And yet despite the success on the court, the merry-go-round of injuries continues to be one of the leading stories off the court. OG Anunoby returned to the starting lineup after missing 18 games with an elbow injury, only to re-aggravate that injury during a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers (more thoughts on that later on). On the bright side, Mitchell Robinson went through contact at practice earlier in the week, and Julius Randle is reportedly pushing to get back before the end of the season.
The orange and blue have won seven out of their last ten games, including victories against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orland Magic, and Philadelphia 76ers. But it was the magic during the west coast road trip – where the Knicks posted victories against the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors – that has fans dreaming of postseason success despite their injury woes. Both Isaiah Hartenstein and Deuce McBride were excellent during the road trip, and continue to showcase their infinite value to the team.
At the 70-game mark, a check-in with the advanced metrics shows that the Knicks are 6th in the NBA in net rating (up three spots from last check-in), 13th in offensive rating (down two spots from last check-in), and 7th in defensive rating (up three spots from last check-in).
March 3rd – March 23rd: 7-3, Overall Record: 42-28, 4th place in the Eastern Conference
Deuce “Trey” McBride
Mid-way through the west coast trip, in a game against the Golden State Warriors, head coach Tom Thibodeau decided to start Deuce McBride alongside Jalen Brunson in the back-court. Fans will remember that the Warriors came to NYC almost a month earlier, a game in which Steph Curry poured in 31 points and Jonathan Kuminga added 25 points in a lop-sided victory on the Garden floor. Give Thibs credit: he made a tactical adjustment, and it worked.
McBride was an absolute beast defending the perimeter. Curry still had 27 points on 20 shots, however, he was not able to move as freely as he was during the previous game, and that can be attributed to McBride.
Besides defense, McBride also scored a career-high 29 points, knocking down six of his nine three-point attempts in a game where he played 47 minutes. For the season, McBride is now shooting 41.6 percent from the three-point line and he’s played over 40 minutes per game in three of the last five games. Per Cleaning the Glass, Deuce also ranks within the 88th percentile in non-corner three-point shooting, and within the 86th percentile in overall three-point shooting.
McBride’s ascension as one of the key members of this Knicks rotation over the past month can be attributed to his approach, hard work, and the faith Thibs has in him. After a recent victory against the Brooklyn Nets, Donte DiVincenzo was asked about Deuce’s impact and how he stayed ready, even when he wasn’t getting consistent minutes in the rotation.
Via SNY:
“You have to credit him. Most guys, when they’re not playing much or not playing at all, they kind of give in to the, ‘I’m not gonna do extra workouts, I’m not gonna do this, I’m not gonna do that.’ He does everything, and he’s ready to go.”
The OG Saga
Unfortunately, it’s not all positive vibes in Knicks World. As previously mentioned, OG Anunoby re-aggrevated an elbow injury during the west coast trip and has sat out the last three games. The Knicks have defended the way they’ve handled OG’s injury, but it’s reasonable for fans and analysts to question the manner in which OG has been re-introduced to the team.
After playing 28 minutes in a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, OG played 35 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers. During the second quarter, Anunoby appeared to re-injure his elbow going for a steal as DeAndre Ayton drove to the hoop. Anunoby appeared hurt, looked to the bench on several occasions, and looked very awkward on his shot attempts. I fully expected OG to sit the rest of that game, but he didn’t.
OG played in the second half of that game and another 33 minutes in a victory over the Sacramento Kings. At no point did OG look comfortable on the court, but afterwards, coach Thibs said that Anunoby was playing through “soreness,” and that this was what they expected. To the Knicks’ credit, coach Thibs also stated that an MRI showed no signs of any additional structural damage to OG’s elbow. That being said, I believe that OG’s performance on the court clearly showed that his re-introduction to the team and minutes going forward need to have a more gradual approach.
Ultimately, I believe, if you read through some of the tea leaves, the Knicks didn’t trust OG’s pain tolerance. There have been rumors and reports regarding OG wanting to be fully healthy before playing. I personally feel that the Knicks gambled and felt that OG needed to push through the soreness on his journey back to full health.
However, I think this could have a major impact on OG’s relationship with the Knicks going forward. If OG ends up missing significant time during the playoffs, I wonder how that will impact negotiations when it comes to contract talks at the end of the season. Of course, it’s possible that everything will work out just fine, but it’s a situation worth monitoring for sure.
I-Hart
When the final words are being written about the Knicks 2023-2024 season, I’m willing to bet that Isaiah Hartenstein will be viewed as a top-three/four player in terms of his impact. Hartenstein’s intensity, rim protection, movement without the ball, and activity on the boards are all HUGE reasons why the Knicks are hovering around a top-five place within the Eastern Conference standings with the opportunity to catch the Cleveland Cavaliers, who currently occupy the third seed.
Coach Thibs has recently said that Hartenstein’s movement has been the best since the beginning of the season, and in return, Hartenstein has credited both Thibs and the Knicks medical staff for creating a plan to gradually bring him back after he injured his Achilles.
Over the last three games, I-Hart is averaging 16.6 points per game, 1.6 blocks per game, and 9 rebounds per game, while shooting 81.9 percent from the field. Hartenstein’s production has been so consistent and important to the Knicks that there have been strong suggestions that, even when Mitchell Robinson returns to the lineup, Harteinstein will continue to start.
Our next 12-game check-in will be the final installment of the Knicks Pulse Check for the regular season. There will be two tough battles, on the road against both, the Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat, and two back-to-back matchups against the Sacramento Kings/Chicago Bulls, and the Boston Celtics/Brooklyn Nets. I think there is a large enough sample size of basketball to confidently say that the Knicks will finish no lower than the 5th seed in the east, yet their potential and best-case-scenario outcomes are still cloudy with both Robinson and Randle on the shelf.
Time for Knicks fans to lock in and enjoy the final stretch of the season as the orange and blue head towards their second-straight postseason appearance.
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’s interview with ESPN’s Luis Miguel Echegaray.
