The New York Knicks offense sputtered in last night’s loss to Sacramento. The Knicks fought throughout the game but tired legs meant meager results.
The defense showed up but their offense was MIA in a loss to the Sacramento Kings 94-103. The Knicks shot poorly and seemed to run out of gas in the second night of a back-to-back. They led the first and second quarters by slim margins, but only mustered 40 points in the second half as the Kings took over. New York shot the ball poorly, bricking open looks and free throws that could have made a comeback more palatable. To make matters worse, Tom Thibodeau didn’t do the players many favors by sticking so strictly to a tired rotation.
On the bright side, team leaders showed up. Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson each gave strong contributions. The downside is that no one else on the team hit double-digits or scored efficiently. The other vets led the futility and the youth struggled as well. It wasn’t pretty, made worse by the fact that New York was facing a league worst defense. Let’s take a closer at look at the crash landing.
Knicks starters from great to terrible
Elfrid Payton: With almost as many fouls as points and little else to contribute, Elfrid Payton had a brutal night. The lead guard had a tough match-up with De’Aaron Fox. He showed up flat, not scoring or putting much pressure on his defender while giving up drives, transitions, and buckets on the opposite end. It’s a scary thing that Payton is far and away the best ball handler for the Knicks, but I cringed whenever he had the ball in his hands. Payton’s possessions were stagnant.
Payton played 31 minutes, too many minutes for just 7 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and a block with 1 turnover. He shot 3/12 from the floor, 0/1 from three and 1/1 from the free throw line. The lead guard has the ball in his hands far too often to put up such futile numbers. This mimicked Payton’s worst performances. He couldn’t draw defenders because he wasn’t a threat to score. His lack of gravity neutered any playmaking he might muster. That made it hard to judge whether he was even trying to get other players going at all.
I’m giving Payton a 1 out of 5 for a poor performance on both ends of the floor. Fox is a tough assignment, but the speedster saw little resistance regardless. Payton’s defense is solid on some nights, masked by Mitchell Robinson’s mobility and effort the rest. To make matters worse, he just doesn’t manufacture enough easy looks for his teammates. The best playmaking comes from Julius Randle and the Knicks’ scoring comes more from swing passes and tough drives than any clever manipulation on their lead guard’s part. When the offense needs points, it has to rely on forwards instead the point guard.
RJ Barrett: RJ Barrett picked up right where he had left off in Golden State, as a force inside with enough juice to hit jumpers when left open. RJ’s performance faded as the game wore on though, not surprising after 73 minutes of action in two nights. He became less elusive over time, which found him resetting or otherwise throwing passes out of a crowd. That meant some tough turnovers and missed shots inside in crunch time. But the guard was still a force, fighting all night and providing the offense with one of its few effective weapons.
After 36 minutes of action, RJ finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists to 3 turnovers. He shot 8/17 from the field, 2/2 from three and 3/3 from the free throw line. Barrett’s shooting was especially nice to watch in this one. He looked comfortable from three and midrange, doing damage even as driving lanes tightened up from lack of a scoring threat. If the jumper is falling, he’s ready to average 20 points per game.
Barrett nets a solid 3 out of 5 that would have been higher without the mistakes late. Strength and bully ball have been defining facets of RJ’s offense, but his recent run has included some cleverness. He’s mixing in hesitations and pull-up jumpers, pump fakes and short passes. That has opened his game and allowed for more efficient play. But when he’s tired, these new facets also lead to mistakes as he expands and learns.
Reggie Bullock: Although he gets the starts, Reggie Bullock has quickly been relegated to a lesser role behind Alec Burks. At least that’s what it seems like. Bullock got his minutes cut for the second straight game despite Burks shooting poorly. That might have been because Reggie didn’t have much to offer. The wing went scoreless in over 20 minutes of action and didn’t do much to make-up for lackluster offense.
Bullock played 21 minutes for 0 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists on 0/3 from the field and 0/1 from three. He simply didn’t have it. There was no special reason for his attrition either. Bullock was just invisible. Alec Burks had a miserable shooting night, but he was trying to make things happen. That’s all it took to send Bullock to the bench in key moments.
Bullock’s absolute dud nets a 1 out of 5. He didn’t have any production to point to as a reason to bump this score. I won’t linger on this explanation because I say this often enough about Bullock…his defense isn’t good enough to put up such meager production in so many minutes.
Julius Randle: Marvin Bagley couldn’t stop Julius Randle without a ton of help. Randle was a force for the Knicks, leading the team in points, assists and rebounds as he has been prone to do all year. He didn’t just lead the Knicks in all of those categories, he had more than a quarter of the team’s points, assists and rebounds. The big man still showed signs of fatigue though, missing anything he took from outside of fifteen feet. That poor shooting was easily forgivable though because Randle was an absolute force on every foray inside.
Randle posted 26 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists to 2 turnovers in 36 minutes of play. He shot 8/17 from the field, 0/4 from three and 10/11 from the line. The big man faced some hard double-teams and still managed to get himself to the line or find shooters…they just missed. Even with the frequent trips to the charity stripe, Randle probably deserved more whistles. He was visibly frustrated with the refs. That never stopped the big from playing well though. Randle was even better when he played angry.
The strong performance rates a 3.5 out of 5. The Kings forced the ball out of Randle’s hands with hard double-teams that sometimes turned into triple teams. This caught the big man off guard at times, leading to some shoddy possessions for the offense. I don’t hold that against Randle too much though because he’s the power forward and not the point guard. Whenever the big man is tired or trapped, it becomes clear that the Knicks need a quality guard to manufacture some easy looks.
Mitchell Robinson: With brick after brick flying off the rim, Mitchell Robinson’s offensive rebounding was a welcome addition to the Knicks’ night. The big man created second chances and stuck as a lob threat throughout his stint on the floor. Unfortunately, the Kings clogged most lanes and Robinson’s rim running impact was limited despite being effective periodically. The big man contributed his typical brand of interior defense but even that was muted by the Kings’ shooting. The big man was always a threat inside but the Knicks didn’t do enough on the perimeter to maximize his utility.
Mitch put up a double-double in 29 minutes, dropping 12 points, 10 boards, 1 block and 2 turnovers. The big man did his job out there, grabbing 5 offensive boards along the way. But the Kings packed the paint on defense and shot well from outside on offense. Mitch was strong but couldn’t change the trajectory of this game.
With yet another solid night, Mitch grabs a 3 out of 5. His double-double came in spite of the crowded interior. Kings bigs had a block party on everybody else, but Robinson rose above them repeatedly to grab boards or dunk. For an easy downside, Mitch did pick up a costly illegal screen turnover late in the game. But it was an otherwise solid performance from one of New York’s most reliable players.
The Knicks bench fails to find a double-digit scorer
Immanuel Quickley: Let’s not sugar coat a sloppy game for Immanuel Quickley. The rookie trouble creating space for himself and didn’t shoot the ball well. Ball pressure caused IQ to struggle getting New York into its offensive sets. His shooters weren’t making shots to alleviate the pressure and that meant an inefficient night for everyone. That said, the best moments for ball movement still came with IQ’s second unit. Quickley is much more likely to throw a swing pass that sets up his off guard to attack an unbalanced defense. He also remains a savvy threat whenever he’s given room to operate.
Over his 17 minutes of action, Quickley shot 3/9 from the field, 1/4 from three and 1/2 from the free throw line. He ended with 8 points, 2 assists to 2 turnovers, 1 rebound and 3 blocks. The blocks are notable because they point to IQ’s effort. The rookie never gave up chasing guards around screens. That contrasted nicely to players like Payton that seemed to drift in and out of intensity when they were knocked behind the ball handler or forced to make a rotation.
IQ grabs a 2 out of 5 with his word for the day being “spacing.” Whether Immanuel Quickley is shooting well or not, he demands that his defender stay tight. That proximity can force him into a relatively quiet role but still creates better spacing for the rest of the ball handlers. It didn’t reap many rewards in this game, but I’d suspect that players like RJ and Randle would have benefited from the extra step or two that Quickley’s presence alone can provide.
Alec Burks: Alec Burks had a better game than his numbers might suggest, but not by much. The sixth man had a miserable shooting night even from the free throw line, perhaps a sign of tired legs on the back-to-back. The main benefit for Burks’ performance is that he at least stuck to attack mode. The offense stagnated far too often while the scoring guard managed to make some savvy plays that had visible positive impact. The problem is that there were plenty of bricks and blocked shots between the good moments.
Burks finished 27 minutes with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a block with 1 turnover. He shot 3/14 from the field, 1/5 from three and 2/4 from the line. Whether Burks was open or trying to draw fouls, his shots rarely fell. That natural jumper from the preseason still isn’t back to form since his ankle injury. But we still got a glimpse of that quick trigger three-ball late in the game.
Despite the abysmal shooting, Burks registers only slightly better than the worst performers for the Knicks. He grabs a 1.5 out of 5 which is still bad though. The back breaker for Burks came when he had a jumper blocked late which led to easy transition points for the Kings. It was a missed opportunity that closed the curtains on the game.
Kevin Knox: It’s hard to call Kevin Knox the victim of an expanding rotation because he hasn’t shot well in the past couple of games. The wing attempted to assert himself against the Kings but still didn’t get into a comfortable rhythm despite getting plenty of shots off in limited minutes. If there’s good news, it’s that we still got a corner three from the young prospect. He’s golden from the corners but nothing else has been working.
Knox only got 12 minutes of action and managed 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal on 2/6 shooting and 1/3 from three. On the bright side, he stayed aggressive in spite of poor shooting. On the bad side, he had more field goal attempts than points. It’s tough to be mad at a player that barely gets 10 minutes to get comfortable and produce though. His recent struggles have a chicken or the egg debate to them. Is he struggling because his minutes were cut or were his minutes cut because he’s struggling? We don’t know yet, so no game score for Knox.
Obi Toppin: Obi Toppin rarely looked comfortable in his limited minutes on the floor. The big man was disappointing when he drew mismatches, passing out of opportunities to attack Buddy Hield and Cory Joseph. It’s obvious that the game is moving fast for the rookie and he’s also jockeying between post play and perimeter face-ups. It just seems like a lot of moving parts for the young man who has barely gotten his feet wet in the NBA.
In 12 minutes of action, Toppin put up 6 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist to 1 turnover. He was 3/7 from the field, 0/2 from three and 0/1 on free throws. Honestly, that’s not bad production considering how skittish and sloppy he can look at times. The big man is at his best making off ball cuts and receiving the ball with downhill momentum. He’ll need time to figure some things out, but there’s plenty of promise for fans that don’t focus too much on the “coulda, woulda, shoulda’s” of the draft.
Nerlens Noel: Nerlens Noel was mostly competent and not much else for his time on the floor. The big man’s game had all his usual hallmarks. He poked loose a steal, challenged some shots and grabbed plenty of boards. But then the worrisome aspects of his offense also showed up, yes he dropped a pass and no he did not do much to help the offense.
In 19 minutes, Noel scooped up 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal with no points on 0/1 from the field and 0/2 from the free throw line. I really don’t have too much to say about this performance. It wasn’t terrible but he didn’t score in just under 20 minutes of floor time. Yes, Noel provides defense but he has to offer up something at the other end to make his defensive play beneficial.
With nothing to contribute offensively, Noel’s game lands at a 1.5 out of 5. He wasn’t the worst player out there but he didn’t provide enough in his 19 minutes of action. When the offense is struggling and the spacing is bad, I’d like to see Thibodeau take some risks with small ball. The defense might suffer, but a brief run that gets the ball moving and the offense flowing could be worth a short backstep on the defensive end.
Tom Thibodeau loses a challenge by winning a challenge
Tom Thibodeau: In an absolute first, Tom Thibodeau won a challenge that saved the Knicks a foul and two points but still managed leave me enraged. Of all the moments to decide to take a stand against shoddy officiating, the Knicks’ coach went out on a limb for statistically his most detrimental player on the floor (by +/-). That’s the kind of night that Thibodeau had as coach. He made moves and adjustments in response to the game flow. Those moves fit with the type of coaching we’ve seen all season. But those decisions also felt bound to fail under these particular circumstances…spoiler alert, they did fail.
On the second night of a back-to-back, I can’t be mad at RJ Barrett or Julius Randle for slowing down. I may be frustrated by Payton, Bullock and Burks’ struggles but I also understand that the lactic acid was built up before tip-off for those guys. I realize that IQ, Knox and Toppin had trouble in their minutes; but this was the game to let them try and play through it. The starters never had a great flow going and multiple bench players were too limited to even try to find rhythm.
Thibodeau gets a 2 out of 5 for decision making that felt reasonable but not helpful. If he can’t get his main players a break on a back-to-back against a weaker opponent, then I suspect the worries about minutes load could come to fruition for this team. Thibs has instilled an incredible work ethic in every player, but they’re not machines. These guys slow down and sometimes don’t have the legs to make shots. Maybe Burks shouldn’t push 30 minutes in his second game back from a walking boot at least.
Closing Thoughts: The West Coast trip is still at 1-1 with 2 winnable games to go. The Knicks play a depleted Blazers next before facing a Jazz team that they’ve defeated once already. Let’s not get cocky though. This could easily become another losing streak. New York could use some additional healthy players to fill roles when others slow down. I don’t know that I trust Thibodeau to give breaks to the right guys yet, but only time will tell on that front.
As the 20-game mark approaches, we’re still looking at a team that’s fighting for a playoff spot. Even when games get ugly, I still enjoy the competitive nature that New York brings to every possession. I’d like to see the Knicks acquire a player that makes Randle’s and RJ’s lives easier on offense. But for now, I’m just enjoying the competitiveness and watching our prospects’ journeys. We’ll see how that looks next against another certified star in Damian Lillard. Despite the ugly loss, I’ll be looking forward to it.
