The New York Knicks lost their second game in a row, falling to the Indiana Pacers 98 to 111.
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Myles Turner scored the first 8 points of the game and the Knicks never tied or the took lead after. The Pacers stayed closer on shooters and dared players to drive into their big bodies inside. Meanwhile, the Knicks kept looking for kick-outs that weren’t there. Even as New York began to play downhill and find success, they never put together enough stops to complete a comeback.
RJ Barrett was the life the starters once again. Derrick Rose took a more aggressive approach than recent efforts. We also got our first look at Nerlens Noel for this new season. Frustration is unavoidable in an 82-game season, let’s dive in and see what needs fixing for the Knicks.
RJ Barrett continues his leap with no one else to help
Kemba Walker: The law of averages came after Kemba Walker with a vengeance. The Pacers stuck closer to shooters and that meant no easy looks for Walker early. By the time he got a shot in space, the New York native was already off his rhythm. On the bright side, Walker did dribble inside to create opportunities for others. But he’s still not putting enough rim pressure together to make up for bad shooting nights.
Walker played 28 minutes, shooting 2/11 from the field and 0/5 from three. He wound up with 4 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal. That’s not enough production out of the starting point guard role, especially after Indiana’s guards shot over him fairly often. But Walker’s defensive effort deserves some respect. He tries to take multiple charges every night, regardless of who is dribbling in his path.
Walker seemed confused by Indiana’s approach on defense. On more than one occasion, he had the step on a defender but slowed down anticipating a help defender. The diminutive guard would wind up having to take a tougher shot or kicking the ball out to a well-defended shooter. The hot shooting streak ends with Walker struggling to a 1.5 out of 5 for his performance.
Evan Fournier: If Kemba Walker was confused, Evan Fournier was lost against the Pacer defense. The French shooter couldn’t get open looks at range and seemed hesitant at times when he attacked off the bounce. Fournier still found the lane for some finishes and midrange success, but never enough to look comfortably in rhythm.
Fournier marked 29 minutes with 14 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 turnover. He shot 5/12 from the field, 1/5 from three, and 3/3 from the free-throw line. His numbers might feel better if not for continuous defensive woes. The Pacers seemed to look for him to throw into pick and roll action. He was a target that couldn’t get stops on defense and failed to answer enough on offense.
This was the first time that it seemed like the French wing second-guessed his decisions out there. He passed up some decent shots and forced bad ones on other occasions. The Pacers had the length to bother his offense and a green light to attack his defense. The end result is a 1.5 out of 5 performance in the disappointing loss.
RJ Barrett: The early woes are gone and RJ Barrett looks poised to make a leap once again. For the third straight game, Barrett was the engine for an offense that struggled without him. Broadway Barrett hit his mid and long-range shots but really showed out with his finishing inside. I mentioned that help defenders stayed home with their shooters, and RJ was the only Knick to take full advantage of the openings inside.
The third-year prospect played 34 minutes, collecting 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 turnovers. He shot 8/20 from the field, 2/6 from three, and 5/7 from the free-throw line. Barrett rushed and forced a few looks late in the fourth as the game was slipping away. That takes away from his efficiency, but make no mistake about the kid’s dominance over the action. He played like a star.
The most exciting part of this performance is that Barrett was the only perimeter defender to look decent with the starters. He shut down a few Indiana fast breaks on his own and got out to shooters that were left alone the rest of the night. RJ helped spark some momentum by getting stops and then attacking the transition. For almost willing the Knicks to a comeback, Barrett grabs a 4 out of 5.
Julius Randle: We saw a much more determined effort out of Julius Randle, but not his best performance. Randle struggled with his jumper again but made up for it by trying to get out in transition or attack inside. The Knicks’ star got into the paint frequently and was decisive with the ball in hand, but only found offense inside or at the line.
Randle shot 6/16 from the field, 0/2 from three, and 6/8 from the line over 37 minutes. He finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers. Randle’s offensive game would look a lot more efficient if his midrange moves worked or his open looks went down. A couple of shots bouncing his way would turn another subpar game (by Randle’s standards at least) into a quality performance.
I commend the effort from Julius Randle in this game. He brute-forced his way to a productive night when the Knicks needed every bit that he could muster. The big man played faster against Indy, and that’s a promising development even if the jumper was off. Randle grabs a 2.5 out of 5 for his double-double.
Mitchell Robinson: If it weren’t for Myles Turner hitting every shot he took, I’d argue that Mitchell Robinson had a better game than his number. Mitch blocked three shots early, including a three-pointer. The big man proved stout inside against Indy’s own giants. But Robinson left Myles Turner wide open from three throughout the game, and the Pacers’ center barely missed.
Mitch finished 28 minutes with 3 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. He shot 1/1 from the field and 1/2 from the free-throw line. With the Pacers staying home with their men, lob opportunities weren’t there for New York’s big man. The big bodies inside also kept Mitch at bay on the offensive glass. He matched Indy’s bigs well inside throughout his minutes, but Myles Turner added a three-point element to win the match-up.
Turner’s hot hand pulled Mitch away from the basket and created more driving opportunities than normal. The Pacers’ defensive approach limited Robinson’s opportunities to score or hit the offensive boards. That all adds up to a forgettable night for the big man, with his presence sapped of impact. Robinson grabs a 2 out of 5, for a solid effort but a forgettable night.
Rose asserts himself again, but the bench is still lacking
Derrick Rose: Derrick Rose showed up more assertive on the ball and effective inside. The former Bull took a few minutes to realize how much runway he had inside, but was aggressive once he figured it out. He played last year’s style, much more on-ball and downhill action instead of waiting on the perimeter for shots. He sparked the offense off the bench.
Rose played 20 minutes, tallying 13 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. He was 5/11 from the field, 0/1 from three, and 3/3 from the line. His forceful trips into the paint deserved even more whistles than we saw. He dealt with contact, pressure, and Knick nemesis TJ Mcconnell handily. The former MVP is back on track after a couple of quiet nights.
New York’s sixth-man also provided a defensive boost compared to Kemba Walker. He offered more resistance against ball handlers who drove. His block was a beauty, recovering on a fast break to pin a lay-up. This was a strong effort on both ends and for that Rose nets a 2.5 out of 5.
Immanuel Quickley: I might sound crazy to say this with Immanuel Quickley’s continued struggles on offense, but I think the sophomore is settling in. Quickley didn’t attempt any three-pointers and was limited to 2/5 from the field, but I liked the looks that he got up. IQ barely fell short of getting a performance score, logging 14 minutes for 4 points and 2 boards.
The sophomore had an ugly possession at the end of the third-quarter that might paint his performance bad in some eyes. But the rest of his looks were exactly where he needed to be and his defense looks improved from last season. I think we should give the youngster time to find his jumper and everything else will fall into place.
Alec Burks: We got a sample of fourth-quarter Alec Burks against Indy, but it didn’t last. Burks spent most of the first-half off-ball, but was surprisingly disruptive on defense. When he came on for the third and fourth quarters, the microwave shooter took possessions at the top of the key and delivered. But his impact faded once starters came back in to take over the touches.
Burks put up a gaudy 10 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, and 1 turnover in 21 minutes. He shot 3/6 from the field, 2/5 from three, and 2/2 from the line. It was one of those nights that felt like, if he could just chain one more made basket to his last then he might explode. But his looks were fairly limited and he never got it fully going.
The Knicks’ fourth-quarter scorer improved on recent performances. His game seemed off recently, even when the production was solid. This one felt better, he was locked in and needed as Fournier struggled. But there’s another gear to Burks’ scoring that we’re still waiting to see return. Burks fetches a 2 out of 5 for a solid night, but I’m waiting for a breakout game.
Obi Toppin: The Obi Toppin show was in full effect for what few minutes he got. Toppin had a lovely up and under lay-up followed by an alley-oop dunk. The Pacers defensive approach meant space to gather and rise for New York’s native sophomore. The big man was an early spark, but still got his minutes cut early.
I can see why Thibodeau might extend his best players’ minutes. But stretching Randle to 37 minutes on an off-shooting night didn’t make much sense with how well Obi was playing. Toppin put up 7 points and 2 rebounds in 11 minutes. He was a perfect 3/3 and seemed poised to have a nice night, but Thibodeau shut down any hopes of a big performance.
Nerlens Noel: New York’s starting center for most of last returned. Nerlens Noel came off the bench and provided a reminder of his good and bad traits. The big man blocked a shot early, hit a baby hook inside, and showed mobility to impact slashers more effectively than Mitchell Robinson was able to. We’ll get to the holes in his performance later, for now, let’s just enjoy that Noel is back.
The shot blocker spent 18 minutes adding 2 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, and 1 block. He was 1/2 from the field and not much of a presence on offense. The big man still has shaky hands for receiving passes or even hanging on to some tougher rebounds. It’s a frustrating trait for a player that gets all over the place and moves well for his size.
The other issue that eventually got Noel pulled from the game was a lack of strength. Sabonis overpowered the backup center for multiple offensive boards even when boxed out fairly well. We were reminded that Noel brings a lot to the table, but strong big men can give him trouble. This was still a nice return though, Noel scoops 2 out of 5 for impact.
Sticking to old habits
Tom Thibodeau: High expectations mean added pressure for players and coaches alike. Tom Thibodeau had the luxury of taking his time to pick out the best configurations for New York last season. This year, the job felt half-finished with so many returning pieces. But two new pieces and developing players from last season have caused some early struggles to feel more frustrating. It’s hard to say whether Thibs is slow to adjust or trusting his players to figure things out.
Thibodeau didn’t make any major game-changing decisions, and that’s a problem when your team loses from opening to close. He let the defense flounder without adjustments and the offense was slow to catch on to Indiana’s approach. It was a disappointing game that can easily lead to questions about whether the rotation needs to be tweaked. But we should remind ourselves this was only one game.
The Knicks came out with more energy and aggression than against the Raptors. They didn’t back down from a physical opponent, even as Indiana shot incredibly well. That’s a good sign and probably enough for Thibodeau’s stubborn style to stick with what he has. Whether that works out will remain to be seen, but for now he gets a 1.5 out of 5 for a tough night.
Closing Thoughts
How early is too early to make a change? The Knicks are 5-3 on a 2-game losing streak with their toughest opponent so far coming next. Their defensive play has been disjointed and inconsistent through 8. The bench which was so dominant last season has been equally up-and-down with wings struggling to score like they did last season for no perceivable reason. There are problems and consistency issues throughout the roster.
But is that just a reminder that we’re not even 10 games into the season? The Knicks took months to get rolling last year and a lot of players evolved into their roles. I’ve seen promising developments from IQ and Burks off the bench. Kemba was playing lights out for the three games prior to this one, and Evan Fournier has been a quality scorer more often than not. We’re approaching the time to discuss changes but I see enough daylight to wait for more signs.
So the Bucks are next up. It’s a perfect time to figure out whether the Knicks play down to their competition or are just stuck in the middle tier with a slew of other competitors. I’m dreading the reality check that a Milwaukee loss might be, but also excited to see if RJ Barrett’s run can continue. We’ll get to watch the action on a Friday night and see how these guys rebound from their second loss in a row. I’ll see you there 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 the KFTV panel award RJ Barrett with last week’s Player of the Week! Hit the link below.
