The New York Knicks got caught sleeping by the young Orlando Magic, losing 104 to 110 at MSG.
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This one felt like trouble almost immediately. Orlando played an inspired game after being blown out on their home floor in the prior game. Meanwhile, New York didn’t have legs on their jumpers and got out-hustled on the boards. The crisp ball-movement and frequent transitions that defined two victories faded as the Knicks settled for jumpers and failed to get stops.
Mitchell Robinson and Derrick Rose were the lifelines for New York. They injected life as Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and a host of others struggled to find consistent offense. This is a loss that players will be kicking themselves over. Let’s take a look at the numbers and discuss the performances in this rough loss.
The jumpers betray New York’s starting unit
Kemba Walker: We’re starting to see chemistry between Kemba Walker and Mitchell Robinson on pick and rolls. Walker found Mitch for a lob and then used the rim-running big as a decoy on a pull-up from midrange. The diminutive point guard also got into the paint and scored off his elusive ball-handling. There some promising signs to his on-ball performance. The problem is his defense. Walker isn’t solely to blame, but Cole Anthony torched the Knicks from the point of attack. The Knicks latest starting point guard lost his match-up handily and was outperformed by his back-up as well.
In 19 minutes, the former all-star managed 10 points and 3 assists on 4/8 from the field and 2/5 from three. His offense feels like it’s coming to life a bit. He attacked screens aggressively and got downhill often. He’s not the player that he once was, but he can still apply pressure on a defense in bursts. His jumper is reliable as ever and there are enough ball-handlers for Walker to pick his spots and damage.
I’ve already alluded to the concerning aspect of Walker’s night. He didn’t just give up a few points, Walker was a target. The New York native failed to defend the three-point line early and sparked Cole Anthony’s, and all of Orlando’s confidence. The starting unit is still looking for chemistry on both ends, but Walker’s defensive struggles are all his own. He’s got to put up some resistance. Despite the solid offense, Kemba’s performance grabs a value of 1.5 out of 5.
Evan Fournier: Evan Fournier’s offense slowed down. His jumper wasn’t quite as accurate as usual and he couldn’t get much going inside. Fournier was cold even before he sat for an extended period in the second-half. Orlando disrupted his two-way action with Julius Randle and that meant more isolations for Randle while the Frenchman played spectator more often. That might be why Thibodeau tried to get Burks going in the fourth-quarter.
Fournier played 26 minutes, hitting 3/11 from the field, 2/7 from three, and 0/1 from the charity stripe. He finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers. His production lacked bite. The quick runs of scoring and creation that popped throughout the first two games faded into the background of this one. I’d have to check back to see if the Magic made any particular change to deny the two-man game with Randle, because it was all but gone this time.
Fournier’s night felt short thanks to limited production and his long spell on the bench in the second-half. His numbers might explain the decision somewhat, but I still found myself wishing that we’d gotten the Frenchman out there sooner in the fourth. By the time he checked back in, Fournier seemed cold and bricked a shot on a curl. I may have just lost patience for Burks, but it still felt like an improvement over the other options Thibodeau chose. For a limited night, Evan Fournier’s performance scores a 2 out of 5.
RJ Barrett: RJ Barrett’s early dimes against Orlando are a worth a shout-out. He found Kemba in the corner and Mitch on a rim-run during his first few possessions and both passes took a level of ball-handling and patience that we rarely saw from him in previous seasons. They indicated a nice step in the playmaking direction and something I want to start off with because the rest of RJ’s game was bad. Barrett shot miserably from three, rushing and forcing some of his attempts. He forced the issue on some drives as well. To make matters worse, the ball-watching and gravitation off his man from Orlando followed Barrett back to New York.
The former third pick in the draft managed 12 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in his 33 minutes. He shot 5/17 from the field, 1/7 from three, and 1/1 from the line. This was an especially frustrating night because Barrett finally tried to assert himself. That only magnified his struggles as players like Fournier and Rose were pushed off some possessions despite being keys to New York’s first couple of wins. Barrett’s been too patient at times in the first two games, but this one felt like an adjustment too far toward aggression.
New York’s prized young prospect is off to a rough start. He’s logged one truly high-quality half of basketball since the season kicked off. Beyond that, he’s jockeyed between not doing enough and trying but failing to get going. The key here is probably RJ’s three-ball. If that begins to fall then he can draw defenders and open up more lanes. The playmaking wrinkles that we’re seeing could shape into an additional weapon to leave defenses off-balance. Barrett needs to be unpredictable, but that starts with getting his main weapons back on-point. For letting his struggles impact other players’ rhythms as well, RJ gets a 1.5 out of 5 on his performance grade.
Julius Randle: Oddly enough, the game where Julius Randle had his lowest total turnovers has been his most out-of-control performance so far. Randle had an off-shooting night which led to more trips into the paint to attack. That led to a mixed bag of tough takes through traffic with a lot free-throw attempts but also some ugly misses. The big man’s offense was desperately needed, but awfully labored. His initial defender could play a step further back than normal and absorb some contact while waiting for help to arrive. Randle did find some nice finishes along the way, but his frustration off misses and physicality seemed to cause a bit of tunnel-vision. He didn’t pass like he’s capable of, instead fighting for points in crowds.
Randle logged 38 minutes and knocked down 8/24 from the field, 2/10 from three, and 12/14 from the line. He wound up with 30 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, and 2 turnovers. The defensive numbers are the true bright spot here. The star player may have struggled from the field, but he never let his defensive effort slip and produced strips and blocks on many a ball-handler. Randle’s an underrated on-ball defender with switchability that saw him giving fits to Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs at times before block Mo Wagner or Bamba at others.
Picture me telling you that any player had an off night when he produces 30 points and 16 boards. That’s the level that Randle has reached. He was a crucial fixture for the Knicks and yet relative to what we’ve seen, this felt like a weaker performance. The Knicks typically get enough production from elsewhere to make up for the odd night where Randle is inefficient to a fault. This was a rare occasion where Randle needed to be more MVP than borderline all-star. Randle still gets a 3 out of 5, but it would serve him to get teammates involved more on nights like this.
Mitchell Robinson: We’re starting to see Mitchell Robinson’s legs get under him. Mitch was a machine on the boards and finished a series of dunks off putbacks, alley-oops, and hard rolls to the basket before the first-half buzzer. He gave us another scare in the third quarter, leaving the game after a scary collision with Jalen Suggs. Orlando went on a scoring run inside as soon as Robinson left and didn’t miss inside until he came back on the floor. Where everyone else had up-and-down nights, New York’s shot blocker was a positive presence whenever he played.
In 33 minutes of action, Mitch clocked 10 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 blocks, and 1 turnover. He was a force everywhere and some of those numbers don’t even tell the full story. Robinson and Randle got tangled up for a few rebounds, more Randle’s fault than Mitch. That cut into the center’s block total. Despite clocking three blocks, Robinson’s presence caused more than a few misses inside that don’t show up as blocks. He’s also sturdier on screens and his gravity during cuts off that contact has created space for every ballhandler to utilize.
For all of Julius Randle’s production, I’d still place Mitchell Robinson as the most important starter from last night’s game. He was a more consistent positive presence, doing the things we expect and ratcheting them up a notch. Mitch gave the Knicks a necessary shot in the arm and his rim protection only became more apparent when he sat. Orlando picked out some holes in the New York defense, but Mitch relegated those targets to the perimeter whenever he was present. Mitch gets a 3.5 out of 5 for a high impact performance and hopefully a sign of things to come.
Rose carries a struggling Knicks’ bench
Derrick Rose: If this is just a hot streak then color me disappointed, because Derrick Rose has started the season like a sniper. He’s dribbling into three pointers at the slightest sign of space. Rose was the only reason New York’s bench kept afloat. New York got nothing from its sophomores and not much more from Burks or Taj. That meant Rose carried the bench and then needed to keep it up with the starters in crunch time. He faded a bit late, but that’s more from giving up touches to Randle and Barrett. When Rose was shooting, the Knicks were rolling and that was true all night.
Rose shot 9/16 from the field, 5/8 from three, and 0/1 from the line over his 29 minutes. He scored 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers. Even the uptick in numbers fails capture how good Rose was. He was the best player for New York in the first-half, and slowed down but still had impact throughout the second. New York is relying the former-MVP more than anyone could have predicted. Kemba Walker is still finding his fit, and the New York bench has multiple guards that haven’t captured their success from last season yet. But Rose has been the piece to make everything clique and when all else failed…he stepped up to put twenty points on the board himself.
Just as Mitchell Robinson was the key to the defense, Derrick Rose was the driving force of the offense until Randle tried to take over. Rose may have seen a reduced footprint on this game because of fatigue, but I’m skeptical of that. It seemed that Randle and Barrett pressed a bit to help the team and that left Rose working with scraps late. But make no mistake, the former-Bull was crucial all game. This one’s a blowout without Derrick Rose, and he gets a 3.5 out of 5 for that.
Immanuel Quickley: I’d hoped that Immanuel Quickley’s Friday night outburst was the start of a run, but IQ was back to struggling by Sunday. Quickley got to decent looks from three and with his floater, but nothing fell for him. He ended up cut from the second-half rotation and only logged 12 minutes. The sophomore finished scoreless 0/4 from the field, 0/2 from three. He clocked 1 assist and 2 rebounds but that’s it. This was not the start to the season I’d envisioned for IQ, but there’s plenty of time to find his rhythm.
Alec Burks: There were flashes of the usual Alec Burks in a clever lob and nice and-one finish after beating a closeout. But they were only flashes. For most of his night, Burks shot poorly in spite of being left wide open frequently. This was as uncharacteristic as it gets with Burks finding his spots but failing to convert. Coach Thibodeau only made matters worse by leaving Burks on the floor for extended fourth-quarter minutes in which his struggles continued. Burks got some of Evan Fournier’s minutes and did nothing with the time.
Burks clocked in at 25 minutes, packing on 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, and 1 turnover. He shot 3/10 from the field, 1/6 from three, and 2/3 from the free throw line. This wasn’t a case of inconsistent touches or tough looks. Burks got his looks and simply failed to convert. He also didn’t get much going in terms of playmaking and his defense fell short as well. Terrence Ross torched him in the fourth, although Ross did that to everyone.
We saw Burks have some nights like this last season. He’s a microwave scorer who typically makes up for off-shooting nights with a bit of playmaking. That wasn’t the case this time. Burks left a lot to be desired, especially considering he stayed out there for crucial minutes. The disappointing performance is worth 1.5 out of 5 on my performance scale. It’s telling that Thibodeau couldn’t find a suitable replacement to cut Burks’ minutes despite his struggles.
Obi Toppin: The Magic appeared to target Obi Toppin, attacking the paint whenever he was in the game. Toppin still flashed some of his clever passing and had the highlight dunk of the night, but his inability to protect the paint saw his minutes trimmed down. Toppin only rocked for 12 minutes and managed 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist on 1/4 from the field. His three misses were three-pointers that weren’t close. But at least we have this highlight…
Taj Gibson: The welcome-back game for Taj Gibson proved uneventful. While he logged 12 first-half minutes, Taj didn’t get much going beyond some rebounds. He missed a midrange jumper that he usually makes and finished with 4 boards and 1 assist, but it was a quiet night in his return.
Strange rotation choices late prove costly for Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau: It’s rare for a game to feel out of Tom Thibodeau’s hands. The Knicks have had plenty of nights where things start to go awry, but Thibodeau calls the right timeout or finds the right combination to put everything back on track. Sunday was one of those outlier nights that saw Thibs powerless to reel his players in. The starting backcourt struggled on defense, so Thibodeau relied on his back-ups. That meant switching from Cole Anthony torching Kemba Walker to Terrence Ross torching Alec Burks. Thibodeau had no interior defense without Mitch out there and that cost opportunities to utilize the Obi/Randle combination to pick-up offensive momentum. Role players were broadly invisible and key players struggled with few exceptions.
That doesn’t vindicate Thibodeau of making some questionable choices. The most obvious misstep was leaving Alec Burks in for almost 15 straight minutes while struggling late into the game. Evan Fournier hadn’t been much better on offense, but he had a track record that warranted the look. Thibs seemed to be trying to rekindle chemistry by relying on last year’s pieces, but it failed to bet a spark. I also felt like Randle’s third-quarter success came at the expense of everyone else’s rhythm. Thibodeau didn’t reel in his star and that left the team ice cold as soon as that star needed a break.
There’s a worthwhile question about whether anything Thibodeau did would remedy this game. The Knicks got a lot of good looks that bricked in ugly fashion. The team got outplayed but still kept things close and fought hard into the final minute of regulation. But there were just a couple of glaring choices which seemed to do the Magic favors instead of helping New York. It’s early, so I expect to see more experiments and risks taken. Players need chemistry too, though. So Thibodeau has a lot on his plate, we’re still waiting for Nerlens Noel who will also need reps to integrate with everyone. Thibs gets a 2 out of 5 on the night. His coaching kept the players trying but didn’t keep them playing smart.
Closing Thoughts
Nobody panic, everybody calm down…the Knicks were victims to their first trap game of the season. We may have been spoiled by the fact that last year, New York was the trap game and not the team in danger of a letdown. Every team in the league has games like this, where no one’s quite got their A-game and the opponents come out with fire. They ran into the same opponent they’d just blown out and that meant the Knicks’ talent couldn’t overcome typical Sunday energy.
A wake-up call might not be the worst thing to happen. The Knicks have Philadelphia on Tuesday before visiting Chicago on Thursday. Coasting to wins against subpar competition might have left them ripe to be shocked at the step-up in competition. That’s my optimistic reading at least. The Knicks have flaws that they’ve managed to overcome with their strengths in other areas. High-level opponents might capitalize on issues that Orlando just laid bare. The perimeter defense is shaky and these guys can’t hit free-throws to save their lives. The ball movement is beautiful when it comes but is fleeting when the going gets tough. Those are weaknesses that time and reps can cure, but they’ve only got one day off before a yearly contender arrives.
So now we get to the fun part…or the painful part. The Knicks can’t afford to slack again this week. They just lost their chance at creating some leeway before facing tougher tests. Sunday could be a wake-up call or it could be the warning sign before a slump. The reason for my optimism is that we know these players and we know this coach. These aren’t the players to rest on their laurels or take games for granted. The quick turn around and elite opponent means a chance to make a statement fast. I don’t assume a win but I will expect a hard-fought game. The magnitude of any one game out of 82 seems tiny, but in the vacuum of early vibes and hype…I really want this next win! We’ll talk about after the action Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors and recaps throughout the 2021-22 season! And in case you missed it, catch CP’s segment on WFAN with Evan Roberts where they discussed the Knicks’ hot start to the season, Obi Toppin’s improvement and more! Hit the link below:
