The New York Knicks defeat the Houston Rockets 116-103. Knicks win because of Deuce McBride, Immanuel Quickley, and Mitchell Robinson.
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The New York Knicks got back in the win column, defeating the Houston Rockets 116 to 103. The Knicks got off to a hot start, scoring 39 points in the first quarter behind quick starts from their highest paid players. The bench continued the run, but as the starters returned momentum began to fade. By the end of the third quarter, the Rockets had gone from a double-digit deficit to neck and neck with the Knicks. That’s when the bench came in and took the game over with most of the starters never needing to come back in.
Evan Fournier finally found a comfortable rhythm but the rest of the starters shot 8/31 combined. Immanuel Quickley exploded from three and Mitchell Robinson brought the energy in the fourth quarter. But it was the rookie, Miles McBride, who stole the show with an outstanding effort on both ends of the floor. This may have been a scheduled win, but it was one the Knicks desperately needed. Let’s take review some of the new exciting developments!
Knicks’ starters need some rest after a hot start
Derrick Rose: 0 PTS (0/2 FG, 0/1 3PT), 1 AST, 1 REB in 12 mins
Thanks to the hot starts from Randle and Fournier, it wasn’t immediately clear that Derrick Rose was off his game. But he had little to offer during a second-quarter malaise for the entire starting unit. The former-MVP simply wasn’t very involved and only truly stood out when he flew in to challenge a free running ball-handler at the rim (I was pretty sure that rotation should have been Fournier’s). Rose didn’t return in the second-half due to a sore ankle.
That explained a lot and I wonder if it was the reason he lost so much juice in the second half of the Golden State Warriors game. Rose has been New York’s most consistent contributor, so let’s hope he just needs some extra rest. For this game, he gets no impact score and even being his injury managed to become a game-changing assist…it set the stage for Mile McBride.
Alec Burks: 9 PTS (2/10 FG, 1/2 3PT, 4/4 FT), 1 AST, 9 REB, 1 TO in 37 mins
Alec Burks played a ton of minutes despite continuing his shooting woes. I won’t belabor him for the shoddy shooting yet, because he has a literal newborn at home and is still out there sacrificing for the orange and blue. His effort was unquestionably there, shining in a fourth-quarter sequence where he grabbed multiple offensive rebounds and forced his way to the line. Burks was still off his typical game, but he was working hard to be a positive-sum contributor.
Speaking of the fourth quarter, that’s when the Alec Burks looked like himself again. He drew a few whistles, knocked down a three pointer, and generally felt like a bigger weapon. I don’t think it’s a coincidence he did this with the second-unit which allows him to play off-ball and rewards his movement along the perimeter. It’s not an insult to say that Burks isn’t a point-guard and he’s been miscast in that role out of rotation needs more than skill set.
As a starter, Burks is shooting 34 percent from the field, 33 percent from three, and averaging 3 assists. His splits off the bench were 43 percent from the field, 44 percent from three, with 2 assists. Even a five-point uptick in scoring doesn’t help when we consider that he plays 15 more minutes per game during starts. I’m not saying any of this to attack the player. I like Burks and his contributions but he’s better in the scoring mindset. For this one Burks gets a 2 out of 5, but it’s important to note he helped close this win out.
Evan Fournier: 23 PTS (8/12 FG, 3/6 3PT, 4/7 FT), 3 AST, 1 REB, 2 TO in 28 mins
Let’s start with the good, Evan Fournier snapped out of his funk. It wasn’t just that his shot was falling, but Fournier was a more aggressive player all-around. He moved better off ball, attacked closeouts with drives into pull-ups, and threw some pretty dimes especially a baseline dish to Mitch. The French wing led the starters in scoring, just shy of averaging 2 points per attempt. If he didn’t miss his last three free throw attempt, there would be nothing to complain about from his offense.
Then there’s the bad which was defense. If a man gets beat off the dribble, we expect the next player over to at least take a step in and tag the ball-handler. It buys a split-second for the first defender to recover or at least for help to reach the rim. Fournier stays at home instead, just watching players fly in uncontested (sometimes he points). It’s such a frequent issue that I started to wonder if the refusal to rotate is part of the defensive scheme. Clyde calls a bad rotation matador defense, but that’d be a compliment for Fournier’s poor rotations. Fournier’s defense is more like a red carpet.
The offensive bounce back is a great sign. We need Fournier’s shooting threat and the additional assists were a welcome bit of help. But his defensive woes kept him on the bench throughout the fourth quarter despite leading all scorers by a comfortable margin. Instead he fell to second in scoring and finished with a negative +/- despite going bonkers from a scoring efficiency standpoint. His offense came around, but his defense still has to be better. This was a good step though, 2.5 out of 5 for Fournier.
Julius Randle: 21 PTS (6/18 FG, 3/8 3PT, 6/6 FT), 6 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL, 3 TO in 32 mins
The flame throwing from Julius Randle to close out last game continued into the first quarter against Houston. He feasted on single coverage early with three pointers and some buckets inside. But his isolations were less successful as the game wore on and the Rockets shifted more attention his way. By the end of the game, Randle’s efficiency had dipped but this still felt like a promising step.
Defense is still an up and down issue for Randle. I thought he was more engaged and had flashes of good timing and tight rotations. But those were interspersed with some blatant mistakes that had Jay’Sean Tate looking like a star. When Randle’s offense started to fade, the defensive slip-ups started to stand out more. He’d press to get points back instead of working to stop the points from happening in the first place. He’s capable of playing locked in defense, it’s just not consistent right now.
I’m a little worried that Randle’s brief scoring run was more the result of single-coverage than any other improvements. When the Rockets started to shift and double more, Randle’s game got ugly. But there was a fourth quarter run where he trusted a rookie and a sophomore to handle things and I like the signs of that. New York’s star requires a double-team to stop, and he can overcome the doubles by trusting his teammates and taking what’s given. I think he’s getting there (hope he’s getting there?). Randle gets a 3 out of 5, because his 6 assists came from trusting his help.
Nerlens Noel: 0 PTS (0/1 FG), 4 REB, 2 BLK, 1 TO in 18 mins
Nerlens Noel pulled off some highlight worthy blocks, but that’s about it. His minutes fell short thanks to early foul trouble and late game Mitch balling out. But those cuts into his time probably saved him from looking worse. There were simply no signs that Noel was going to find it on an off night.
Ironically, an off night for Nerlens Noel has nothing to do with shooting. It’s when he’s late to rotate and protect the rim. Despite the two blocks that he had, the shot blocker’s presence was muted. Rockets players too often got into the lane for easy finishes virtually uncontested. Part of that is a lack of defense at the point of attack and little rotation help from the wings; but another part of it is that Noel’s not moving quite like we know he can.
That’s right, I’m going with the injury excuse. Noel’s certainly moving better than he had in his minutes back from knee soreness. But his lateral movement isn’t calling back to the way he’d fly around the paint and ruin lay-ups. He can catch up to a slasher from a step away currently, but he used to close the distance from two and three steps out. Right now, I’m giving him a mulligan and waiting for last season’s Nerlens to get healthy. 1.5 out of 5 for Noel in a rough outing.
A trio of young Knicks power the bench to a win
Miles McBride: 15 PTS (6/11 FG, 2/5 3PT, 1/1 FT), 9 AST, 3 REB, 4 STL in 36 mins
Miles McBride came into the game and quickly stole the ball. He shot up the floor in transition and hit a tough pull-up three pointer. That early moment was a perfect microcosm of his entire performance. McBride frequently turned defense into quick transitions and points. His pressure on and off the ball caused havoc for the Rockets ball handlers and caused a number of mistakes.
There’s more to his offense than just the shooting and fastbreaks, he also covered for Derrick Rose and showed traits of a legitimate point guard. He frequently drove and dished to open shooters, didn’t force shots, and was comfortable making the simple passes instead of pressing to make things happen. That approach picked him up 9 assists without a turnover, and I’ve still got more praise. There were some simple choices he made that good point guards ought to; I’m talking about setting up Taj Gibson in the post when undersized Eric Gordon was on him. McBride spots mismatches, uses head fakes to get guys extra space before a pass, and just does a lot of the little things we expect from a lead guard.
His offense wasn’t even my favorite part of McBride’s game. It was his defense at the point of attack and his rotations that Monica McNutt highlighted at halftime and in the postgame (she’s fantastic, I love her addition to broadcasts, 5 out of 5 impact). Off the ball, his ball denial made possessions start later for the Rockets. At times he would anticipate a pass, jump the lane, and the ensuing redirect from the ball-handler would lead to steals for teammates. Everything McBride did contributed to pace, energy, and winning basketball. He gets a 4.5 out of 5 with energy overcoming the raw parts of his game that will sharpen up over time.
Immanuel Quickley: 24 PTS (7/13 FG, 7/10 3PT, 3/4 FT), 4 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 4 TO in 32 mins
So many recaps I’ve written have been about Immanuel Quickley doing everything right except hit his shots. IQ has rounded out his game with playmaking, improved defense, and my favorite hesi-move since Tony Parker retired. The Rockets were the team that got to see what Quickley looks like when his shot is falling to go with all his other contributions…those poor Rockets.
Quickley barely needed space to launch and make long distance shots. If he was able to set his feet, the shot was finding the bottom of the net. That opened up lanes and let IQ drive for lobs to Mitch and kickouts to McBride. As the tertiary playmaker, Quickley was able to seek his own shot more aggressively while still feeding teammates with his improved vision and feel. This IQ isn’t just a weapon, he’s a straight up gamebreaker.
Don’t let McBride distract you from IQ’s defensive impact as well. He was also a ball-denying troublemaker against the Rockets. Quickley brought a two-way game that thrived next to McBride, with both players happy to feed the other when wide-open. Let’s touch on some of the flaws too though. Quickley was fast and loose with the ball, getting his pocket picked and creating offensive fouls at times. He also failed to convert on moves inside with his floater rimming out when a lay-up would have sufficed. So not a perfect performance, but that makes the 24 and 4 on 13 attempts even more exciting…IQ can be even better than his 4 out of 5 impact.
Taj Gibson: 7 PTS (2/8 FG, 1/4 3PT, 2/2 FT), 1 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL in 16 mins
Taj Gibson has the most big-brother presence in the NBA, I swear. He shifted from a Center role all season to the Obi Toppin power forward spot. That meant more work on the perimeter which included making a baseline three. The three might have been fool’s gold, because everyone got hype and started feeding Taj who missed his subsequent long-range shots. But how can you not cheer this dude on?
The interesting thing about having Taj out there at power forward is that his physicality helped the Center next to him. There was less space for everybody compared to when Knox or even Obi is playing. But Taj found bodies and required attention which meant more lanes for Mitchell Robinson to eat off putbacks. Gibson’s presence also meant that lobs which typically go to Obi found Robinson’s hands instead. Taj wound up being a booster for a struggling but promising young center.
It wasn’t efficient scoring and it lacked numbers that leap off the page, but Taj was his usual helpful self in this game. He led the team in +/- and that might be a bit overblown, but it’s not outrageous by any means. Gibson dots the “I’s” and crosses the “T’s” for any unit that he’s a part of. He was surrounded by youth and worked as perfect supporting player. Gibson gets a 2.5 out of 5 on positive impact despite the numbers saying otherwise.
Mitchell Robinson: 17 PTS (8/8 FG, 1/1 FT), 9 REB, 1 STL, 3 BLK in 30 mins
Mitchell Robinson got off to a slow start, but ended the game with a huge exclamation point. Mitch was late on multiple rotations in the first half. He got caught watching players fly into the paint for easy layups and finishes. But someone must have said something to Mitch at halftime because he responded with a huge second half.
My first big note on Robinson is that when he came on in the second-half, his first possession on the floor came with an offensive rebound. It wasn’t a “gimme” either, he had to hustle to position and rise up in traffic. That spoke to the mentality that he carried on the interior at both ends. Blockinson was in full effect, clapping three-point shots like the old days and denying bigs inside as well. He seemed to feed off McBride and IQ’s hard work on the perimeter, or maybe their effort bought him that extra split-second I mentioned in the Fournier part.
Another obvious piece of the puzzle is rim-running. Deuce and IQ both found Robinson for repeated lobs inside during the fourth. He was flying inside and when the lobs didn’t go his way, he’d still be in prime position to grab and dunk offensive rebounds. This felt like the Mitch we were expecting to start this season, even if we really only saw him for that fourth quarter. If he gives that kind of effort for his entire minutes allotment then Mitch will be an agent of chaos that we’ve been missing since the foot injury. Mitch gets a 3.5 out of 5 almost entirely powered by his fourth quarter.
Thibs trusts the bench, reaps the rewards
Tom Thibodeau: How much credit do I give Tom Thibodeau when his hands were tied due to injuries and protocols? It’s hard to imagine Miles McBride playing 36 minutes under any other circumstance. But those minutes included a second-half where McBride didn’t sit at all, a sure sign that the coach trusted his rookie with the team. McBride earned every minute he got, whether injuries prompted the chance or not and I think Thibs managed to reward the kid.
There are other slick decisions that I can easily commend. IQ over Fournier for the entire fourth wasn’t a foregone conclusion with how well the French wing was shooting. But Quickley’s ranged shot and Fournier’s poor defense combined to make it the correct move. Thibs also stuck with Mitchell Robinson while the big man was contributing. It’s easy to act like these moves are obvious choices, but Thibodeau doesn’t break his rotations so easily.
One of the shining aspects from Thibodeau’s coaching last season, was that his players were always prepared. The next-man-up mentality was a defining trait for New York. Players would go down and their replacement would fill the void like they’d been playing all along. That sort of team-wide chemistry was back with McBride in big minutes and Taj at power forward for the first time all year. I’d love for this to be a turning point for the Knicks, let’s see how Thibs handles his rotations when players get back. Thibodeau gets a 4 out of 5 for his impact on a good win.
Closing Thoughts
And just like that, Miles McBride has restored the feelings like a classic from Jay-Z. His big-time contribution when given the opportunity is something of a crescendo to over a week of appearances from young promising players. We’ve spent most of this season watching the Knicks struggle with veteran players filling most of the time. That made it easy to forget that this is really only a midway point of a rebuild. Yes, Randle got paid and Fournier got paid; sure, the veteran role players got extensions and raises. But the Knicks also drafted 4 players (Rokas is having a strong year in Europe) to go along with two promising sophomores returning from rookie campaigns.
The sinking feeling and minutes allotments helped to disguise that half New York’s roster is 23 or younger. We know RJ, Obi, and IQ are contributors right now. The recent games have shown us that Grimes, McBride, and Knox might all be ready to contribute to an NBA team too. It creates a dilemma for Thibodeau, but expands the options for the front office quite a bit as players signed in the offseason become available to trade. New York has a slew of NBA contributors ready to go and just as many picks in the next few years. By the way, they’re only 2 games back from 6th place which would put them in the playoffs without needing a play-in game.
The timing couldn’t be better for some youth to breakout. New York’s schedule softens over the next couple of weeks, with .500 records and below for virtually every opponent in the next 14 games (subject to change of course). If there was a time to make a run and recapture the energy from last season and opening night this year, it’s right now! The front office has assets to try and fix a still struggling starting line-up and the schedule is begging for a win streak just as much as the fans are.
We’ll see if the Knicks can get us back to real optimism in Boston tomorrow. I might catch whiplash swinging from “let’s make a run” to “maybe we should tank” if it backfires. Speaking of which, shout out to Ari and Fredo for that epic battle of the fans. Now it’s up to the Knicks to keep the energy high and us fans to keep riding for the squad. See you after the next one Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. In case you missed it, check out a new edition of Battle of the Fans where Ari from Manhattan and Fredo go head-to-head.
