The New York Knicks fell short to a playoff-caliber opponent yet again, as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated them 120-108.
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The New York Knicks fell to another quality opponent in the Memphis Grizzlies, 108 to 120. The Knicks trailed almost immediately and had to fight just to keep things competitive. Clyde frequently called New York out for letting Memphis’ defense off easy, by settling for jumpers and hesitating on passes which led to turnovers. The Grizzlies played their typical game of relying on transition offense and second-chance points which were enough to hold New York at bay whenever they threatened a run.
But some Knicks stepped up to force Memphis into a genuine battle, despite the score being lopsided. Mitchell Robinson played one of the best games of his career, while Evan Fournier shot continued his torrid shooting streak. Immanuel Quickley’s playmaking continued to impress and Quentin Grimes managed to make the most of fifteen minutes by defending everybody, including Ja Morant. This loss was bitter, but the individual performances were filled with notable pieces that could the team improve as they develop. Let’s take a look at how each player fared.
Fournier’s offense and Robinson’s defense propel the Knicks’ starters
Kemba Walker: 0 PTS (0/4 FG, 0/2 3PT), 2 AST, 3 REB in 17 mins
Kemba Walker had a tough night. A single drive and dish stood out as his one highlight in an otherwise nondescript performance. He rarely attacked and wasn’t particularly effective when he did, going scoreless for the second straight game. As a matter of fact, he’s only got three assists, six assists, and a single steal over the course of those two performances which isn’t cutting it.
Walker’s defense stood out for all of the wrong reasons. He began this season seemingly unable to get around any screens, and the issue is back with a vengeance. The Knicks rotations were fairly bad as a whole, but Walker’s assignments were frequently wide-open on the perimeter. There’s no hiding his defensive struggles and he’s not making up for them with offensive play either.
Walker’s night was cut short, with no playing time in the even-numbered quarters of this game. That left him looking rusty on a pair of ugly third-quarter attempts and with limited minutes on the whole. This is the second game in a row that he plays just 17 minutes, and it feels like an omen. Derrick Rose’s return is near, and even the struggling Burks is outperforming Kemba despite recent shooting struggles. Walker gets a 1 out of 5 for a performance that was only visible when things went bad.
Evan Fournier: 30 PTS (11/18 FG, 8/12 3PT), 2 AST, 5 REB, 1 STL, 3 TO in 33 mins
Evan Fournier was the only reason New York remained competitive for chunks of the action at a time. He continuously knocked down three-pointers that stopped Memphis’ runs and brought the game back within reach. His timely threes included a ridiculous banker in the third and two in a row as he returned for the fourth quarter. Those shots took a potential blowout and turned it into a chance to stage a comeback.
Fournier also showed some heart on defense. He was left in no man’s land for a possession in the first quarter, giving up a three after trying to cover two players at once. That play got him sent to the bench despite being Burks’ mistake. But Fournier came back in with some fire, poking at a couple of passes and picking up a steal with a sneaky double-team on Jaren Jackson who was torching New York.
Fournier’s taken a big step since the days of the “bad steak” game. He’s shooting blistering percentages from three since January and it’s not just his offense that’s shown improvement. He’ll never be a world-beating defender, but his effort is there and it’s showing up in rebound numbers and steals. He looks more and more like the player we expected when he signed that big offseason contract. Fournier shoots his way to a 3.5 out of 5 for his impact.
RJ Barrett: 23 PTS (7/17 FG, 1/4 3PT, 8/11 FT), 1 AST, 4 REB, 1 BLK, 3 TO in 39 mins
RJ Barrett’s shooting is starting to come back down to Earth. He struggled at the rim once again and missed all but one three-point attempt. But his absolute devotion to getting into the painted area kept his efficiency afloat thanks to frequent trips to the free-throw line. He’s starting to earn the benefit of a whistle thanks to consistently attacking inside on a nightly basis.
Barrett’s defense was an up-and-down experience. I thought he seemed porous in the first quarter, but he stood out in the fourth as he chased Ja Morant for more than a few possessions. He was the least problematic perimeter defender of the starters, which really just means he came up average on that end. But that’s not bad considering he checked some tough assignments all game long.
I’m starting to get concerned about tunnel vision though. Barrett only picked up one assist to his three turnovers. He sometimes rushed headlong into traffic in a manner that I call Julius Randle out for. He missed some rim runners in transition and failed to find Mitch on screen and rolls. The young prospect’s driving frequently, but still looking for a balance between scoring and playmaking on those trips. I’m confident that he’ll find it in time. Barrett gets a 2.5 out of 5 for strong scoring but not much else.
Julius Randle: 18 PTS (7/18 FG, 1/6 3 PT, 3/5 FT), 9 AST, 12 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 37 mins
We were close to having Julius Randle’s second straight game of strong effort on offense. But that was marred by his poor defense on Jaren Jackson and an ejection before the end of the game. He came out of a timeout with the Knicks on a run and got into an altercation with Desmond Bane. It was completely unnecessary and he really had no reason to walk through the Grizzlie’s timeout discussions…that fired Memphis up with Bane hitting two game-ending jumpers of his own.
Randle’s defense was woeful in the first quarter. His help defense was a step behind on the first two baskets of the game and Jaren Jackson torched him for most of the action. As time wore on, he locked into things a bit more and had some positive moments though. He also picked up some nice rebounds in traffic and sparked some transitions, but it didn’t make up for early frequent defensive mishaps.
On the bright side, Randle’s passing was great. He was decisive with the ball and used some clever head fakes to free up shooters for that extra split-second they can always use. The big man rolled hard to the basket more often once again and it led to some nice finishes around big men like Steven Adams. His game is trending in a more positive direction generally but it’s impossible to ignore the big mistakes and lapses in judgment. Randle gets a 2.5 out of 5 despite his near triple-double because of poor defense and two technicals that killed all of New York’s momentum.
Mitchell Robinson: 14 PTS (7/8 FG, 0/1 FT), 1 AST, 11 REB, 8 BLK, 3 TO in 30 mins
Mitchell Robinson dominated the paint in a match-up with strongman Steven Adams. His drop coverage against Ja Morant was near perfect for chunks of the night. I’d credit Mitch for Ja Morant’s 9/27 shooting more than any particular on-ball defender.
Robinson wasn’t just a force by way of blocking shots. He cleaned up the offensive glass to clean up after misses from his teammates. The big man’s ability to generate points from would-be misses kept New York competitive when momentum seemed all but lost. He played a huge role for the Knicks.
Mitch almost picked up a ninth block, denying a Ja Morant poster right at the rim. The play was called for a foul, but it was my favorite of the entire night. A close second came when he snatched a three-point shot out of the air with both hands. Robinson was doubling the ball out of Morant’s hands and rushing back to deny passes to Adams by the end of the night. Robinson earns a 5 out of 5 for a huge defensive contribution and near triple-double.
Shooting struggles and tough match-ups hold New York’s second-unit at bay
Immanuel Quickley: 11 PTS (3/11 FG, 2/7 3PT, 2/2 FT), 5 AST, 2 REB, 2 TO in 27 mins
Immanuel Quickley’s shot selection wasn’t the issue against Memphis. He tried to punish defenders for going under screens by pulling up from long range. Those shots failed to fall for most of the night. He hit a three through contact and followed with another in quick succession during the fourth quarter. But most of his night saw missed shot attempts that we typically expect him to make.
IQ played despite his shooting woes thanks to his ability to run the offense. I still wouldn’t rate him a true floor general, but his poise at point-guard has shown growth throughout the stretch without Rose. We’re watching a sophomore develop a skill set that was barely visible last season. Now he’s just got to find consistency from his jump shot.
Quickley also put together a solid defensive night to piece together a successful game. Kemba Walker got the start, but Quickley took the lion’s share of minutes at point guard. He’s playing more and more minutes with the starters in the second and fourth quarters. I think it’s time for a rotation change because IQ has earned a look in the starting role. He gets a 2.5 out of 5 for overcoming poor shooting with everything else in his game.
Quentin Grimes: 4 PTS (2/5 FG, 0/3 3PT), 2 REB, 2 STL, 1 TO in 15 mins
Despite missing all of his long-range attempts, Quentin Grimes still managed a positive impact on this game. That starts with his typical contributions of high-energy ball pressure and fantastic help defense. The entire Knicks line-up looked better on defense with Grimes there to hustle at rotations and harass ball-handlers. He even spent portions of the fourth quarter chasing around Ja Morant in commendable fashion.
But defense isn’t all that Grimes had to contribute. He knocked down a pull-up jumper from midrange with form as sharp as his threes. The rookie also finished in the lane on a transition opportunity. It’s nice to see him flash the ability to score inside the arc as well as out.
Grimes was great defensively, but Evan Fournier’s hot hand still led to a short night. His fifteen minutes of action were better than the numbers suggest. There are two or three plays a night where this rookie creates turnovers or helps the Knicks score without it showing up on the stat sheet. His game has maturity and effort beyond its years. Grimes lands a 3 out of 5 for impact.
Alec Burks: 4 PTS (0/3 FG, 4/4 FT), 1 AST, 1 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 13 mins
I hated Alec Burks’ defense in this game. At one point, Burks forgot he was in as point guard and left Evan Fournier to guard two players at the top of the key which resulted in a three-pointer. He failed to keep up with Morant in the circumstances he remembered the match-up and didn’t fare much better against anyone else.
Burks did manage to produce some nice moments along the way. He flashes his penchant for drawing contact and whistles, getting to the free-throw line for his four points on the night. The scorer also threw a pretty lob in transition. I’ll give him credit for effort, but he struggled enough to see his minutes cut below my fifteen-minute threshold.
Obi Toppin: 2 PTS (1/4 FG, 0/2 3PT), 1 AST, 6 REB in 11 mins
Obi Toppin had a rough first half. He was frequently left open from three but struggled. He missed one, hesitated on the next one which led to a turnover, and then missed another. The struggles led to a quick hook.
Toppin fared better in his second-half glimpse. He picked up his nightly highlight dunk in transition, then had a nice attempt at a post-up against Brandon Clarke but missed. Toppin didn’t do enough to secure extra minutes, however, despite putting together some nice rebounding in limited time. This leads me to my typical comment in reviews of Obi Toppin. I wish he’d have gotten some more time.
Nerlens Noel: 1 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL in 16 mins
Nerlens Noel ran into a pair of nightmare match-ups. One big that’s too strong for him and another that’s more too athletic for his length to deter. He struggled accordingly, giving up offensive rebounds and tip-outs to Steven Adams and falling a step behind Brandon Clarke as he flew to the basket.
On the bright side, Noel still managed to disrupt a few ball handlers, with his lone steal producing a transition bucket. But this is the rare occasion where Noel struggled for a defensive impact against his match-ups. That’s unfortunate for a player who never even attempted a shot on the offensive end.
The only other notable moment for Noel was a fumbled alley-oop. Quentin Grimes made a move for the basket and couldn’t have thrown a softer lob up. But it didn’t work out. That’s the story of Noel’s entire night. He gets a 1 out of 5 for a lack of impact.
Taj Gibson: 2 PTS (2/2 FT) in 2 mins
Taj Gibson got a few minutes late in the first half. He essentially came on to give Mitchell Robinson a breather and throw a few box-outs at Steven Adams. It wasn’t enough time to get anything notable off.
Same story and same results for Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau:
Tom Thibodeau got enough out of his starters to make me nervous that he’ll continue to force-feed us the same rotation for another week. The starting unit held up pretty well in this game, but a blatant exception was Kemba Walker who struggled for far too long into the third quarter. New York’s bench had issues as well, but their limited minutes made it less problematic. Thibodeau trusts his starters too much and too often, especially when the team’s best runs lately have been through mixing and matching the first and second units.
Thibodeau’s in-game decisions had a tough time standing out as New York struggled against the Memphis team all night. Giving Taj just two minutes was odd but got Mitch some rest. He used double-teams to get the ball out of Morant’s hands late but it led to mixed results. The Knicks doubled all the way at half-court a couple of times which led to nail-in-the coffin threes. There were more errors in execution and bad luck than poor coaching decisions.
The problem for Thibodeau is that his team continues to struggle with more talented teams. He hasn’t found any answers to turn things around and make New York more competitive with playoff-quality opponents. That wouldn’t be so bad if he’d attempt more adjustments, but we’re approaching the trade deadline with changes only occurring when someone gets hurt. It’s enough to try the patience of any fan. Thibodeau picks up a 2 out of 5 for a game he probably couldn’t help through decisions.
Closing Thoughts
I will spend the next week sneaking glances at my phone throughout the workday, refreshing the Woj and Shams Twitter accounts in hopes that the Knicks pop up. That’s the point that we’re at in this season. I’m less consumed by playoff hopes and more interested in how young players develop. The Knicks are in 12th place, just one game out of the play-in territory, we’ve come this far with no evidence that they can beat better teams. So I’m all-in on the youth movement.
The young guys are giving us reasons to ignore the obvious regression from key pieces like Julius Randle and coach of the year Tom Thibodeau. Quentin Grimes has been great, Immanuel Quickley is more versatile than we thought, RJ Barrett finds ways to score, and Miles McBride is crushing G-League opposition. That’s not to mention that Cam Reddish and Obi Toppin are flashy prospects that need minutes to show us what they’ve got.
So don’t take this as a call to tank, but I want to see a struggling line-up with little upside turn into another probable struggling line-up…just with much more upside. Seasoned fans will remember the West Coast trip from hell that seemed to happen midway through each season of the tumultuous 2010s. That’s up next, with the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, and Portland Trail Blazers on this odyssey that could leave New York truly counting lottery balls.
We’ll see if the Knicks can rebound with some impressive wins out West, or if it’s time for changes and lottery balls soon. We can talk about it all after the Lakers game Knicks fam! I’ll see you there.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. And in case you missed it, make sure to check out CP’s interview with Chris Herring, author of Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990’s New York Knicks.
