The New York Knicks were assaulting the rims according to Clyde, shooting miserably in route to a 89 to 107 loss against the Orlando Magic.
New York got off to a nice start but the game slipped further and further away as they missed shot after shot. The Knicks got plenty of looks they like, but no one could hit. By the latter half of the game, players were pump faking and hesitating to shoot while the Magic comfortably sealed off the driving lanes. This was all exacerbated by the Magic hitting nearly 50% from three on 34 attempts.
The starting line-up held its own for most of the night. Julius Randle was his usual strong self, with added help from Payton and Barrett. But the second unit took a beating for the first time since Derrick Rose arrived. Tom Thibodeau didn’t help matters, leaving Randle’s best supporting players of the night on the bench at crunch time. In a season where the margins between 4th place and 11th are so tight, losses like this one are especially painful. Let’s take a look at what went wrong.
Knicks starters put up a fight but wrong players sit
Elfrid Payton: Despite the team taking a beating, Elfrid Payton managed to be one of the bright spots. He shot above 50% from the field while having his best playmaking game in some time. The point guard didn’t change much about his approach, generally attacking the lane for points. He just added some extra kick outs and dimes to the mix which improved his impact.
While Payton played well, he saw his minutes limited in the second half. The Knicks were trailing by a lot and needed three-point shooting and spacing which he doesn’t provide. So Elfrid played just 23 minutes and managed 13 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds while shooting 6/11 from the field, 0/1 from three and 1/1 from the free throw line. As I said, there wasn’t anything new to report but Payton was just more productive and efficient about it this time.
This was the first time in a long time where I wanted to see Payton get a look late. With Rose and Quickley struggling, it might have been worth seeing how Payton could change things up. That said, it’s obvious why Thibodeau didn’t make that choice. I beat up the fact that EP’s shooting puts a lid on his ceiling often enough to get it. But Payton’s had consistent production lately and was having a strong game. He gets a 2.5 out of 5 for his impact.
Reggie Bullock: The Reggie Bullock factor is interesting. He’s settled into a consistent 3 and D role, but that’s about it. He doesn’t have tools to give the Knicks a boost when he isn’t getting looks from three. Such was the case against the Magic. Reggie didn’t force things and had some decent moments, but he also got a ton of minutes with productivity lagging. When the Knicks play well, Bullock’s invisibility is something to appreciate. When they’re struggling, Bullock becomes more visible for the ways he’s not contributing instead of the intangibles that he does.
After 33 minutes, Bullock only came away with 4 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 turnover. He shot 1/2 from the field, 0/1 from three and 2/2 from the free throw line. The assists are a nice touch but I’m not sure how effective a floor spacer can claim to be with 2 attempted shots in over 30 minutes. The wing had opportunities in space but hesitated or pump faked until a defender arrived. He didn’t seem to trust his shot.
Reggie Bullock’s rough game is the most glaring indictment of how Thibodeau coached this game. Thibs chased spacing late which meant that RJ Barrett and Elfrid Payton (the team’s second and third leading scorers) were relegated to the bench while the game slipped away. Bullock was out there though and he wasn’t bringing value. It’s easy to be mistake-free when you don’t do anything at all. Bullock gets a 1.5 out of 5.
RJ Barrett: While he was arguably the Knicks’ second-best player most of the way, RJ Barrett was a mixed bag overall. He had sloppy turnovers early and missed jumpers from three and midrange. But Barrett also had some truly beautiful drives to the basket and scored points by force of will. That sort of determination was sorely missed as the Knicks played hot potato before bricking shots throughout much of the fourth quarter. Barrett’s not afraid to attack regardless of struggles.
The Maple Mamba was far from perfect but still plenty productive. He put up 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block and 3 turnovers in 27 minutes of action. That production came on 5/11 from the field, 1/3 from three and 4/5 from the line. Not much was coming easily for Barrett, but he was still making things happen. His rebounding is also notable as the Knicks gave up several offensive rebounds in the second half, demoralizing when you’re trying to mount a comeback.
Much like Elfrid Payton, RJ Barrett was robbed of a chance to have a bigger impact. That’s especially bittersweet when we look at how poorly the rest of the wings played. RJ’s not as reliable a shoot as some of his counterparts, but he’s also not afraid to shoot. Not only can he get the hot hand shooting, but RJ can draw fouls and stop the clock. He had every reason to get more opportunities. But he didn’t and that relegates RJ to a 2.5 out of 5 on impact.
Julius Randle: Even Julius Randle saw his production slip a pinch, but that doesn’t mean he was bad. Randle was the one thing keeping New York competitive for chunks of time. He started the game shooting three pointers off the dribble from the top of the key. When the jumper cooled, Randle attacked inside for plenty of success. My only knock is that Randle helped off Gary Clark too far and too often. Otherwise though, Julius Randle was a force yet again.
For 36 minutes, Julius Randle fought, scratched, and pulled together 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 turnovers. He shot 11/19 from the field, 3/7 from three and didn’t take a free throw. Lacking help from his teammates, Randle became an easy double-team for the Magic. He still had to do the lion’s share of work for anything positive to happen, which led to some forces. The big man’s turnovers are a result of the forces and the double-teams. But that’s what happens when no one will take risks, and everyone just keeps kicking to the one guy that’s scoring.
The one bad thing about shooting hot early is that Randle didn’t switch to driving fast enough. By the time he was collapsing the defense, his shooters had lost confidence and kickouts were ineffective. Randle’s not at fault for this though, just a victim of the trickle-down effects when nobody can hit a jumper. He was the Knicks best player and that warrants a 3 out of 5.
Nerlens Noel: Nerlens Noel started the game hot, creating second chances and finishing inside. He cooled off though and spent most of the night an afterthought. Noel did a respectable job containing Vucevic but that required a lot of help from teammates. I can’t blame Noel too much for the tough match-up, but the help defense led to open three’s for multiple Magic players. That means Noel’s defensive impact was muted to the extent that he had a rare game with zero blocks.
Riding his early scoring streak, Noel played for 30 minutes and finished with just 6 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. He was 3/7 from the field and 0/2 from the line. The big man was goose egg on offense after the first few minutes of action. It’s nice to see his rebounding up but that comes as his rim protection was rarely utilized.
The Knicks may need a bigger body to deal with strong bigs while Mitchell Robinson is out. Noel can’t stop those guys without foul trouble or a help defender. There weren’t any alternatives to go to against the Magic which meant the Knicks got 6 points in 30 minutes from their main screener. That’s never going to cut it. Noel nets a 1.5 out of 5 for his struggle.
Second unit fails to deliver against a depleted opponent
Immanuel Quickley: Immanuel Quickley had his worst game in a long time. The rookie couldn’t hit floaters or three pointers and he doesn’t utilize much else. A saving grace came in the form of IQ’s ability to draw fouls but even the free throws couldn’t salvage an inefficient night. On the bright side, we did get a glimpse of some nice defensive moments when Quickley was challenged in isolation. But there wasn’t much else to like about the performance.
It took 21 minutes for Quickley to muster 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block. He shot a horrific 1/12 from the field, 0/4 from three and 7/7 from the charity stripe. His one field goal came on a meaningless steal and dunk in the last couple of minutes. IQ is good at diversifying his attack to keep defenders off balance. But he couldn’t draw his man out because the three wasn’t falling and that made closeouts too easy. Clyde and Breen blamed it on his legs, that makes some sense. The kid had no problem with free throws but bricked and airballed his three pointers.
It’s worth noting that Quickley having the second most FGA’s on the day despite shooting horrendously is more to do with him being the only fourth quarter player other than Randle that wasn’t afraid to shoot. Outside of a brief uptick from Burks, the second unit relegated itself to hoping that IQ or Rose would make something out of nothing. That’s not an excuse though, IQ struggled when the Knicks needed more from him. He gets a 1.5 out of 5.
Derrick Rose: It wasn’t just Quickley that failed to step up. Derrick Rose had a brutal day, missing inside and complaining to the refs too often. It seemed like an issue of timing. Rose would shoot when he collapsed the defense and swing the ball when defenders were non-committal. He just never seemed to get comfortable against the Orlando defense. At least his one field goal was a nice on though…
The struggle only lasted 17 minutes for Rose who shot 1/10 from the field, 0/1 from three and 2/2 from the free throw line. He finished with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 turnover. The second unit works when the first ball handler draws defenders before swinging to a second attacking player. It peaks when that second player mixes shots with additional swing passes to really pull defenders out of shape. This game saw Rose holding and surveying too often. That’s not just on him, everyone did it. But the former MVP has been the player other guys feed off.
I don’t have to say too much about 4 points and 2 assists on 10 attempts in just 17 minutes. Rose’s struggle is the reverse of Reggie Bullock’s. Bullock refused to take any risks while Rose forced too many. Players have to find a balance in ball movement and attacking in order to be unpredictable. Rose was always attacking, never succeeding and his frustration was visible. That can hurt a second unit so reliant on his leadership already. Rose gets a 1.5 out 5.
Alec Burks: Outside of hitting back to back three pointers in the fourth quarter, Alec Burks was bad. Burks has spent the last four games barely shooting and missing when he tries. He has gotten by because Rose and IQ have been brilliant, so he can play the role of spacer and attack off the dribble periodically. But with Rose and IQ struggling, Burks’ own struggles became magnified. We’ll have to hope seeing a couple of three’s fall can get his mentality to a better place.
Burks played for 24 minutes and managed 8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 turnovers. He shot 3/9 from the field, 2/6 from three and never got a free throw. I don’t mind that shot distribution, but he’s got to be more efficient or get to the free throw line. 3 turnovers without an assist is especially troublesome. The gunner is a much better shooter than his numbers suggest and we saw as much prior to his ankle injury.
There’s a lot to look at for why Burks’ play has fallen so hard. He got back from injury and then saw a rotation change right when he started to find his place next to Austin Rivers on the wing. That doesn’t excuse the struggles though. If the Knicks need more than a spacer on the baseline, he’ll need to be a better player. I don’t mind that because I think he IS a better player. But patience runs thin when every game matters. Burks gets a 1 out of 5, the pair of three pointers hide an especially bad game.
Obi Toppin: Rookie and 8th pick Obi Toppin is still barely seeing meaningful minutes. He knocked down a three in garbage time for 3 points, 1 steal and 1 block in 12 minutes. OBI didn’t have good minutes, but almost nobody on the Knicks did. He at least hit a three which is more than most of his teammates can brag about.
Taj Gibson: While we can appreciate the effort and work that Taj Gibson provides; that comes with being realistic about the big man’s limitations. Taj is undersized against bigger C’s and the Magic have some big guys. Gibson still managed to do some good things, but he was forgettable at best for most of the night.
Gibson grabbed 2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, a block, and a turnover in 16 minutes. He went 1/3 from the field and 0/1 from three. It’s not a ton, but its respectable production considering the circumstances. I won’t linger too much on it, Taj did alright. He grabs an effort based 2 out of 5. It’s easy to appreciate his workman-like attitude.
Tom Thibodeau’s rotations leave a lot to be desired
Tom Thibodeau: My main frustration with Tom Thibodeau’s rotation against the Magic is that it doesn’t reflect his typical attitude. Thibodeau generally rewards whichever players are having the best game with opportunities to play in the clutch. That didn’t happen against Orlando. Julius Randle got his minutes but Elfrid Payton and RJ Barrett were benched despite their replacements struggling. Thibs chased spacing but that meant bizarre decisions. The Knicks needed to score fast and Thibodeau had Reggie Bullock in…I get it, Bullock can make three’s and space the floor, but Bullock had 4 points in 33 minutes and only shot the ball twice. Thibs was too clever for his own good.
I won’t brow beat too hard about overplaying Immanuel Quickley when he barely broke 20 minutes. Elfrid Payton deserved a look, but I can’t be mad at IQ getting crunch time minutes. That said, I do think that Thibs putting shooter-heavy units on the floor had a mental effect on everyone. The fourth quarter saw a lot of settling for three pointers in rushed and contested situations. Everyone knew what that unit was out there for and they pressed to deliver, which failed.
So if it’s not clear yet, this one a 1 out of 5 for Thibodeau. I think he was the tone setter for the fourth quarter nightmare. I don’t mind trusting IQ but I wonder where that love was for RJ Barrett aka the second leading scorer on a night that the Knicks couldn’t score. Thibs does need to stagger his units more often, but those decisions carry a backfire risk. This one backfired.
Closing Thoughts: I don’t know if this was tired legs or the Knicks needed to be humbled. They came out of the gate with force and got a quick lead. It just seemed like New York was expecting the Magic to lay down and fade away. They got a bad surprise when lazy rotations helped a multitude of Magic players get hot. Terrence Ross loves playing New York, I swear. The jumpers did seem labored, but the Magic were depleted and back from a long road trip.
The good news is that the Knicks have a nice long break before the next one. It’s bittersweet because it’s five days of waiting to redeem a bad loss to a weak opponent. But that’s five days for these guys to rest their legs and mull over everything that went wrong. I trust these Knicks to bounce back. Their coaches prepare them well and the players work their tails off.
The timing of this loss and break might just be perfect. The Knicks got a quick dose of humility and now they’ll have a long break to reflect and recover. They’ll follow that break with the softest spot of their schedule so far. They can’t afford to assume wins or show up lazy. They must be prepared and they’ll need their legs with them. The gap between home court advantage and just plain home is a few bad bounces. I’ll look forward to seeing how they bounce back!
