The New York Knicks were a step slow and out of sync as they fell to the Chicago Bulls 102 to 110.
The Knicks played like a team on the second night of a back-to-back. They shot miserably from three and failed to close out hard against three-point shooters. Defeat was evident in the way the Bulls got second chance points and feasted in transition. The Knicks got outworked, although they did keep the game competitive throughout.
Starters dragged from the opening tip on. Julius Randle led the way offensively, but got lit up by Markkanen. The rest of the starting line-up struggled, whether it was Mitchell Robinson’s foul trouble or everyone else’s three-point shooting. The bench got a boost from Immanuel Quickley and Alec Burks. That second unit is peeking at some chemistry issues though. Some losses are easier to take than others, but this one hurt. Let’s look at how it happened.
Knicks starters look tired, lazy or both
Elfrid Payton: Head scratching turnovers, a lack of bite on offense and lackluster defense all set the tone for Elfrid Payton’s night. He threw the ball away a couple of times to start the game and then spent his second half failing to get over screens. That lazy defensive play set up Mitchell Robinson to fail. The big man spent the night dodging foul trouble better than Payton dodges screens. Nothing went well for New York’s starting point guard against Chicago.
Payton played 18 minutes and managed 5 points, 2 rebounds, a steal and 2 turnovers on 2/5 shooting. He missed his only three-point attempt and made his only free throw. There was nothing redeeming in this one, the best I can say is that he probably had tired legs.
Payton’s refusal to fight through screens paired with his inability to contribute much anywhere else lands him at a 1 out of 5. His saving grace from managing an even lower score is that he got benched. There were no signs of Payton turning it around against Chicago. He cannot continue to start if he plays this poorly.
Reggie Bullock: Reggie Bullock wasn’t far behind Elfrid Payton offensively. He shot miserably from the field and didn’t provide much of anything else in terms of statistical output. But the redeeming feature for Reggie Bullock is that Zach LaVine was relatively contained for most of the action. That’s not to overstate how well Bullock’s defense went, Zach put up 21 points on 50% from the field. But that’s not bad considering how well the LaVine has played or that Bullock was off the floor for Zach’s closeout production.
In 22 minutes of action, Bullock dropped 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal on 1/7 from the field, 0/4 from three and 2/2 from the free throw line. The Knicks can’t afford Bullock missing so many three’s because they don’t have another consistent shooter in the starting line-up. Without contributing spacing, it’s hard to defend Bullock’s spot in the starting line-up.
Bullock grabs a 1.5 out of 5 because he set himself apart from Payton with defensive effort. Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine both hit multiple contested jumpers over the Knicks 3 and D wing. The bare minimum we ask for is effort and, on a night, when most players didn’t even have that, at least Bullock played hard. Bullock’s got to hit shots to warrant a rotation spot though, let alone his starting role.
RJ Barrett: RJ Barrett dealt with a mixture of foul trouble, tough interior defenders and a cooling off jumper all game long. When Barrett was able to stay on the floor and work with the ball in hand, he made some nice things happen. The RJ to Mitch lob is becoming a staple of game openings. Barrett uses head fakes toward Robinson to get floaters off as well. Barrett picked up two fouls early, then struggled with his jump shot late. While the Maple Mamba was still productive, his efficiency slipped and his game took a step back.
With 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists to 2 turnovers; Barrett had a decent game. He shot 7/17 from the field and 0/3 from three in 30 minutes of action. Barrett failed to knock down his open looks from three and his midrange pull-up wasn’t quite on either. The sophomore ran into quality rim protection from Daniel Gafford which meant no free throws despite many attempts inside.
Barrett tried to break out of his slump in the third quarter. The sophomore was forceful on drives and got out in transition to try and make things happen. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sustain the quality play of that quarter and slumped some late in the game. For a solid but forgettable game, Barrett lands with a 2.5 out of 5.
Julius Randle: Offensively, Julius Randle put together a strong performance but one that had hints of regression to old ways. Defensively, the slow rotations I mentioned last time made an even bigger cameo against the Bulls. The Bulls didn’t have anyone that could guard Randle one on one. Instead, they sent aggressive double-teams. This led to mixed results as Randle scored and made some beautiful kickouts but also turned the ball over. We got more spins than any game prior, although to be fair he passed out of the spin often.
A robust 23 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists to 5 turnovers and 2 steals filled Randle’s stat-line after 39 minutes. He shot 7/16 from the field, 1/4 from three and 8/9 from the free throw line. The Bulls didn’t let Randle have anything easy. His turnovers came from well-timed doubles that came from his blind spot and after Randle had started his attack. But the give aways weren’t Randle’s only problem. Lauri Markkanen hit 6 three pointers and dropped 30 with Randle late to rotate or looking for switches for smaller guys to take the 7-footer.
Randle still manages a 3 out of 5 for his performance. In crunch time, the Bulls brought those aggressive double-teams and Randle had every chance to force the rock but didn’t. The big man made kick out after kick out for brick after brick from the Knicks’ shooters. This concluded with a spin move turnover but the sequences before that were actually nice reads. Randle’s still doing the right thing most of the time, but his defensive play slipping would be a bad omen for the Knicks playoff hopes.
Mitchell Robinson: Foul woes chased Mitchell Robinson off the court in the first half and limited his ability to defend in the second half. That meant that Nerlens Noel ate into Robinson’s time by being more aggressive. The strange thing about this game was Robinson seemed poised to take it to Daniel Gafford, a true C and rim protector. It wasn’t until undersized Thaddeus Young stepped in that Mitch had problems.
In 20 minutes of play, Mitch put up 9 points, 8 rebounds and a block. He went 4/6 from the field and 1/2 from the free throw line. The shot blocker found himself in no man’s land often during the third quarter. Coby White would beat his man and then force Mitch to rotate which meant easy dunks for Gafford. That was more a fault of on-ball defenders than Robinson though. He still found himself benched for Nerlens Noel who made more committed moves toward the ball handler. It still meant easy buckets for big men but also added some positive outcomes with blocks.
Mitch nets himself a 2 out of 5 for falling to what was essentially a back-up role. The big man took himself out of the contest in the first half with old habits. He wasn’t as sharp or decisive on defensive rotations and that honestly did more to expose perimeter defenders than anything. But that’s the role that Robinson has filled all season. He lost minutes because his performance was weaker than normal.
New York gets a boost off the bench, but not quite enough
Immanuel Quickley: It was a bit more of a mixed performance for Immanuel Quickley than on most recent nights. Quickley was far and away the better option than Payton, forcing his way to non-stop minutes after checking in both halves. But IQ was inefficient, sometimes wasting shot attempts while hunting for contact that didn’t draw whistles. The jumper wasn’t as reliable either, Quickley still hit some clutch shots but he also missed some open looks down the stretch.
Quickley knocked down 5/13 attempts, 2/7 threes and 4/4 free throws. In 30 minutes, he managed 16 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds with just 1 turnover. The obvious bright spot is playmaking. IQ has made some very nice reads over the course of the back-to-back. With increased minutes and reps, we got to see Quickley flash playmaking and especially find the roll man. New York’s ball handlers haven’t rewarded rim runners often this season. When IQ threw multiple lobs to Nerlens Noel it felt refreshing.
The efficiency dips IQ to a 3 out of 5 for the otherwise strong performance. Quickley was a more committed defender than his guard counterparts. He scooped some of the only long rebounds that any Knick grabbed. That said, there was a mix of poor shot selection of missed looks that dragged him from a stellar game to just a pretty good one. You can still spot rookie mistakes from IQ. That’s supposed to be expected. The fact that he’s this even with the blemishes suggests his ceiling might be higher than anyone is comfortable giving credit for right now.
Austin Rivers: The back-to-back served as a crash landing for Austin Rivers. He’s been struggling for a while now. Rivers’ hot start for the Knicks is all but gone. He spent the night against Chicago looking tentative and out of rhythm again. The combo guard is an awkward fit with Quickley and Burks because all three like to attack off the dribble.
In just 15 minutes of action, Rivers went 0/4 from the field, 0/3 from three and 1/2 from the free throw line. He put up 1 point, 1 assist and 1 rebound in an absolute dud. The regression on defense might have been the worst part. Without a rhythm on offense, the combo guard seemed to let frustration slip into his defensive effort as well.
With almost no production and poor defense behind it, Rivers closes on a 1 out of 5. Like Payton, he probably got saved from an even worse score by being benched. It was a performance so bad that even 15 minutes felt like too much. RJ Barrett had a stellar third quarter and Rivers’ goose egg to follow it meant fans were fuming at the comparison of impact.
Alec Burks: Alec Burks finally got into the flow of things properly. Burks found his legs for the jumper and that made all the difference for his scoring efficiency. The shooter’s ranged threat helped set up midrange pull-ups and shots up close. He hit the floor a lot though. It seemed like whenever Burks attacked, he was falling out of the camera shot from momentum.
Burks put up 18 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound and 2 steals in 29 minutes. He shot 6/12 from the field, 3/6 from three and 3/4 from the free throw line. Burks may not have produced much elsewhere, but his scoring was exactly where it needed to be. He shot 50% from three while no other Knick broke 30%. Burks being a gunner clashes with Austin Rivers some as they play a redundant style that requires touches to work. It’s too soon to overthink this issue. That said, it’s a problem worth monitoring.
A 2.5 out of 5 might seem unfair since Burks was better than most Knicks against Chicago. But nobody else scored high marks either. Honestly there’s a balancing issue with the bench that took away from everyone. We’re watching Burks come on just as Rivers falls off the cliff. I think the solution is to either stagger Burks’ and Rivers’ minutes or to let Payton play with and feed the two. This offense needs efficiency that the current rotation hasn’t provided.
Obi Toppin: We got to see some solid first half minutes from Obi Toppin. Toppin played in a more suitable role this time. He set some screens and worked from the post which led to 4 points, an assist and a turnover that was more on Noel than Obi. In the second half, the rookie barely got 1 minute. He lost multiple position battles for rebounds and got a quick hook that left him with just 9 minutes of total playing time.
Nerlens Noel: It’s hard to say that Nerlens Noel was getting too much credit for his defense. That’s because the blocks that Noel got were the stuff of highlights. He made committed rotations on ball handlers and challenged everything in the lane. That said, the aggressive approach meant easier offensive boards and assists inside. While Noel made plenty of positive things happen, he also offset it some whenever a ball handler passed out of the drive.
With 28 minutes to compete, Noel grabbed 8 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks on 4/6 from the field and 0/1 from three. The big man ran the floor well, scoring on downhill cuts whether he was the screen man or just breaking off a defensive rebound. But we saw multiple examples of stone hands syndrome for Noel. The big man gives plenty on defense, but his 0 turnovers tally is misleading and comes at the expense of other players who made nice passes only to be punished.
Noel grabs a 2 out of 5 for good numbers but some underlying issues. This guy would average four points more per night just by being able to catch and grip a ball like a normal human being. The shot blocking sparks transitions but also leads to easy baskets when Noel’s caught chasing the denial. There’s just a lot of give and take to Noel’s presence that reduces his overall impact to back-up level stuff.
Rotation fear and veteran loathing
Tom Thibodeau: All the good vibes will fade if Tom Thibodeau can’t get his rotation to produce. Thibs has clung to a starting backcourt that’s been more bad than good all season long. His bench had helped to hide some of the starting flaws but their chemistry is gone too now that Burks is being integrated. This attrition comes at the expense of minutes for young players, including Kevin Knox who had productive minutes cut down until he was out of the rotation.
That’s not to be too cynical. The growth of players like IQ and RJ is still front and center even on bad nights. Thibs has left us screaming for a change in the past, only to have his rotation figure things out and gel. This might be a case where some new pieces need to learn to play together rather than be replaced. But with the Knicks teetering between tank and compete, he doesn’t have much time for these players to figure it out…if we’re gonna lose, let’s let the young guys gain experience in the process.
Decisions that specifically impacted the Bulls game beyond the rotation? Nerlens Noel played too long in a fourth quarter where his bad hands cost crucial points. Austin Rivers also got too much rope after RJ Barrett had a fantastic third quarter. Obi Toppin’s quick hook in the fourth quarter was understandable, that Obi didn’t get into the game a bit earlier when struggles would hurt less is a problem. So Thibs grabs a much deserved 1 out of 5 for coaching a team that came out flat and then putting up obstacles to their comeback through bad decisions. The reliance on vets is undeniable at this point.
Closing Thoughts: The Leon Rose punt of an offseason makes more sense now. The Knicks are almost good enough to compete but not quite there. Presently New York is flirting with two picks in the top ten of a strong draft class. With the new lottery odds, either one of those picks could blast up to a top 3 selection.
On the other hand, the Knicks are still in play-in game position. That spot is precarious with the Raptors, Magic, and Heat below them though. Rose’s punt left cap flexibility and assets to make a move if he wants to really compete immediately. But the new boss has shown so much patience in the past that I think we may see another punt rather than a move in one direction or the other.
This is what playing with house money looks like. We fans get to have our cake and eat it to. New York is competitive almost every time out. They’re playing in games that matter because the playoff race is so tight. At the same time, we can jump over to tankathon and dream about a gift from the Mavericks in the form of Cade, Mobley or Suggs. Nothing is off the table and we’re just seeing the foundation go into place. It’s a fun ride, win or lose.
