The New York Knicks were blown out by the Phoenix Suns 118 to 97. New York can only find solace in Immanuel Quickley’s performance.
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The New York Knicks stuck around early but were overwhelmed by the Phoenix Suns offense, succumbing to a final score of 118 to 97. They got off to a hot start early, playing through the guards and moving the ball well. But Phoenix was masterful with their bevy of pick and rolls and three-pointers. As New York’s jumpers cooled off, the Suns never let up and the lead got bigger with each quarter.
Kemba Walker’s 17 points were the best the Knicks could muster, with little help from the rest of the starters. Immanuel Quickley was the bright spot off the bench but virtually nothing else went right. At least we got some minutes from the rookies for a change. Let’s conduct an autopsy and tease out some observations from an ugly loss with another game tonight.
Walker’s offense about the only positive for the New York Knicks’ starters:
Kemba Walker: 17 PTS (5/11 FG, 3/6 3 PT, 4/4 FT), 2 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 23 mins
Kemba Walker started the game aggressively and added some punch to start the third quarter as well. But as his rotations wore on, his offensive punch seemed to fade and the rest of the offense followed. Walker’s best minutes came with a 10 point third-quarter that was powered by a couple of threes. He got the Knicks within punching distance, but couldn’t do more. Once his outburst stopped the Suns went right back to building on their lead.
In spite of Walker’s scoring output, this performance is most memorable for poor pick and roll defense. It’s hard to blame anyone for struggling against Chris Paul through screens, but the Knicks had no answers. Walker could have dropped thirty points and the lack of resistance he put up on the opposite end would have rendered it forgettable.
The Knicks’ offense looked its best when Kemba Walker was controlling things. Everyone got touches to work with and Walker even produced the best looks like Julius Randle got all night. But Kemba’s contributions on offense couldn’t keep up with his struggles on defense. He’s not alone in that kind of evaluation, but it keeps his solid game from a positive impact score. Walker gets a 1.5 out of 5 for his impact.
Evan Fournier: 11 PTS (4/15 FG, 3/7 3 PT), 1AST, 5 REB, 2 TO in 26 mins
Evan Fournier came out the gate with three triples in a row. He caused Devin Booker to run into screens and attacked him off the dribble. But after the first few threes, none of it worked. He would shoot 1/11 the rest of the way, and what made that even worse is that he didn’t get enough minutes to warrant that many attempts.
I love the idea of making opposing scorers work. That’s part of the reason that Fournier’s here and Reggie Bullock is with the Dallas Mavericks. But the aggression has to come with some production. Fournier led the team in field-goal attempts but had 11 points in 15 tries. He never got to the free-throw line and left with more turnovers than assists. That means a whole lot of usage with negative impacts outpacing the good whether he was shooting, dribbling, or passing. It’s a nightmare game in every sense of the word.
It only makes matters worse that Fournier matched up with Mikal Bridges who barely needed touches to match production. Bridges showed how to maximize output without needing the ball in hand and gave the Knicks a glimpse of a true defensive glue piece (something they sorely miss this season). For all of Fournier’s struggles, this one felt like a low point thanks to the high usage and ineffectiveness. Fournier gets a 1 out of 5 on impact.
RJ Barrett: 10 PTS (3/10 FG, 1/3 3 PT, 3/4 FT), 3 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 31 mins
I’ll give RJ Barrett this benefit, he clearly didn’t have much going on offense but also didn’t force the issue. Barrett actively sought opportunities, managing to find a transition bucket despite Phoenix never seeming to miss. But more often than not, RJ would meander on the perimeter and have to settle for a tough contested attempt. He couldn’t create separation and doesn’t appear to trust his jumper anymore.
Barrett feels like a wolf that’s been defanged. He would try the things that worked for him so well early in the season, but it never got results. Recently, the young prospect has made up for shooting woes with big nights on boards or strong defensive effort… that didn’t work this time because he guarded Devin Booker so often. You could catch RJ defending Phoenix’s gunner really well and getting a hand in his face but to no avail.
So Barrett didn’t have a scoring impact and while he played commendable defense it didn’t stop his assignment from an efficient thirty-bomb. Barrett didn’t attack enough to add any dimes and wasn’t in a position to rebound either. He was stuck in the Fournier role of just being out there, watching a game he should be an active participant in. That leaves RJ a 2 out of 5, somehow better than most peers which isn’t a good thing.
Julius Randle: 9 PTS (3/8 FG, 0/2 3 PT, 3/4 FT), 4 AST, 6 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 4 TO in 32 mins
It doesn’t take a metrics guru or a hot-shot scout to look at Randle’s game and think something is wrong. Randle had another game struggling to read double-teams and turning the rock over because of it. His downhill efforts against the Los Angeles Lakers had all but vanished thanks to those doubles. The Knicks’ star player was relegated to the fourth most attempts in the starting line-up and he didn’t put much effort into changing the situation which is worrisome.
None of the four Knicks total that shot more than Randle played as many minutes as he did. We could wax poetic about Randle’s dimes, some of which were pretty. But that would obfuscate the fact that he dribbled into trouble more often than he made a clean read and pass. This was an ugly game, ineffective even when he had chances to post-up on mismatches like Chris Paul. As a matter of fact, two of his turnovers came from getting stripped in the post against the barely 6-foot defender.
In the “something is off” realm, Randle being a passive rider in the offense during its best sequences reigns. The starters looked better when the ball was in Walker’s hands, but Randle didn’t. The big man is looking like a player that needs a lot of touches to remain effective, but it’s taken him too long to figure out double-teams all season long. His ability to function on a contending team hinges on being more versatile than he’s shown this year. The starters aren’t gelling and it’s seeping into Randle’s efforts, leaving a 1.5 out of 5 on his impact score.
Mitchell Robinson: 7 PTS (3/4 FG, 1/3 FT), 8 REB, 1 STL in 21 mins
Mitchell Robinson got after the boards and scored inside a few times early. He was the one Knick starter to actually show signs of life and energy. Unfortunately, his night appeared to end early after he came up limping in the third quarter. Whereas I’m hammering the other starters for doing bad things on the court, it was Robinson having to come off the court that hurt his impact.
It wasn’t all gravy for Mitch either. His rim protection was good enough, but only when Chris Paul III wasn’t using trickery to free up cutters. Robinson also saw less defensive impact thanks to the Suns attacking from the perimeter so effectively. The shot blocker can own the paint all he wants, but if Jae Crowder and Booker clock 21 points in three-pointers then the stops inside lose some of their bites.
But that’s not to hit Mitch too hard for things out of his control. I leaped out of my seat at one point because he left his man to force a Devin Booker miss on a jumper. It was help defense that didn’t look necessary but absolutely was. Robinson also whipped a pass from below the rim all the out to an open Kemba Walker, that was my favorite pass of the game. The big man did nice things in limited minutes and I’ll give him a 2.5 out of 5 on impact because at least one of our starters played as if they cared.
Immanuel Quickley shines but the Knicks’ bench falters:
Immanuel Quickley: 16 PTS (6/9 FG, 3/6 3 PT, 1/1 FT), 4 AST, 2 REB, 2 TO in 20 mins
If there’s a reason to smile after the Phoenix blowout, it’s Immanuel Quickley’s performance. IQ filled in for Derrick Rose’s absence with an aggressive style that included some extra trips inside off the bounce and our usual serving of three-point mayhem. The sophomore doesn’t have quite the floor general skills of Rose, but his growth as a distributor was on clear display in more ways than one.
When we get to Quentin Grimes’ many three-point attempts in short order, bear in mind that Immanuel Quickley made those looks possible. Quickley seemed to seek out the rookie and get him involved early. I loved it despite Grimes missing his shots. IQ also did subtle things like trying to get Obi Toppin a lob that didn’t work out but showed an intention to involve teammates and keep everyone going. Even in the clip above, Quickley had just prior turned down a screen from Nerlens Noel to get his pick and mismatch aligned through Obi instead.
Everything I mentioned in that last paragraph didn’t work. They led to missed shots, but still managed to show me flashes and effort that I yearned for against the Suns. IQ was aggressive, most of his attacks worked out, and even the mishaps came about from clever ideas to throw new looks at the Suns’ defense. Quickley’s got a genuine case for deserving to start and he outplayed everyone on the roster to the tune of a 3.5 out of 5 on impact.
Alec Burks: 9 PTS (3/5 FG, 1/1 3 PT, 2/2 FT), 1 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL in 23 mins
Alec Burks was solid again, but the Knicks needed more from him. Burks was pushed into the Rose role early but didn’t have enough aggression on the ball to cover for Rose’s absence. That left the bench unit moving the ball around the perimeter a lot more often and forced the big men in that unit to bad shots. It wasn’t until IQ took the reins on the offense that the bench got its groove back.
That said, settling into his typical role, Burks was much better. The microwave scorer was able to pick his spots and produce with his touches. He didn’t create much from bad situations but ate off the advantageous ones. If a defender was out of place or a mismatch presented, Burks could attack it. You hope for more from the scorer, but I can’t blame him for not forcing the issue if he wasn’t feeling it.
We also got Burks’ defensive effort similar to how he’s played for a good chunk of the season. That means a healthy dose of rebounds (tied for second-most on the team) and some harassment on ball-handlers. Burks was solid in every sense of the word. This wasn’t his peak performance, but it was respectable enough to net a 2 out of 5 for the shooter.
Obi Toppin: 5 PTS (2/10 FG, 0/3 3 PT, 1/2 FT), 5 REB, 1 TO in 14 mins
For once in my life, I’m not complaining about Obi Toppin getting less than 15 minutes. The big man seemed out of sorts and even hesitated on his looks later on in the game. Without Rose to feed him easy looks, we got more examples of Obi working from further out and that exposed his limitations. The big man would post up and get nowhere, settling for turnaround jumpers that never looked great.
Toppin also got a fair share of open three-pointers that he couldn’t cash in. By the end of the game, he was passing up good looks or dribbling into defenders. It made sense to try something else since he couldn’t hit shots, but the reality is that he HAS to make those shots for any chance to be effective without Rose or another floor-general around. On the bright side, his motor stayed strong. Below 15-minutes means no impact grade, but I’ll say that Obi’s play didn’t warrant any more minutes.
Quentin Grimes: 3 PTS (1/6 FG, 1/5 PT), 4 REB, 2 TO in 17 mins
Quentin Grimes got real NBA minutes that we can evaluate and, well…it wasn’t great. Grimes got plenty of looks from three and he wasn’t afraid to fire. He also showed a willingness to dribble into space or take the ball up court when he grabbed a rebound. The problem is that Grimes missed almost all of his shots and turned the ball over on travel violations.
But that’s not to say the rookie looked bad. His defense alone was worth the minutes. You could catch Grimes picking up Chris Paul full-court or jostling the ball loose when Mikal Bridges tried to handle the rock. New York’s rookie couldn’t find his offense, but he sure made a difference defensively. He was visibly more active than any other perimeter defender.
Even the missed threes can be spun to a positive. For one, Grimes being willing to shoot when he’s got space is a good sign. His confidence is backed by shooting form and release speed that should turn the jumper into a weapon in no time. His defensive play feels refreshing amid the woes of the current rotation, so I’m praying that the shots start falling fast. Grimes gets a 1.5 out of 5 on the night, but I still saw enough to want to see more.
Nerlens Noel: 6 PTS (2/5 FG, 0/1 3 PT, 2/2 FT), 6 REB, 1 TO in 18 mins
Nerlens Noel wasn’t very good either. Even as I type this, I’m confused by it because I’m used to consistently solid nights from Noel that sometimes bump up to good or even great. Noel didn’t have the size to contain Ayton and his mobility wasn’t enough to deal with CP3’s savvy passing. That meant Noel’s typical defensive impact was muted while his offense was just the same as usual.
Actually, Noel’s offense might have been slightly worse than normal. Just like Obi, Noel was the victim of a lack of true point guards to feed him. That meant he was handling tougher passes than his hands allow for and taking shots from out of his typical range. Noel tried his hook shot and even tried a three-pointer, but didn’t have success. He gets a 2 out of 5 for an abnormally quiet night.
Kevin Knox: 2 PTS (1/4 FG, 0/2 3 PT) in 8 mins
We got a bit of Kevin Knox in extended garbage time. The one note I have is that on a possession where the Knicks missed three straight long-ranged shots, Knox got another chance to shoot but dribbled inside and dunked instead. It’s a small moment in an otherwise pedestrian performance, but I liked it.
Miles McBride: 2 PTS (1/5 FG, 0/3 3 PT), 1 AST, 1 REB, 1 STL in 4 mins
It took just 4 minutes of Miles Mcbride defending Chris Paul and Devin Booker to highlight just what the Knicks’ defense is missing. McBride was physical with ball handlers, bumping and harassing them then denying entry passes when they’d given up the rock. It genuinely felt like the kind of defense that could disrupt a player’s rhythm and it came on a night when the entire Suns’ line-up found their rhythm without letting go.
McBride wasn’t nearly as good on offense. He missed shots and didn’t do much to make life easier for teammates either. But he was still aggressive and managed to notch a little something all over the boxscore. With the listless behavior of some regular rotation players, McBride just felt like the kind of player we could use. It only took 4 minutes and a little bit of effort to achieve it.
Jericho Sims: 2 REB in 4 mins
Jericho Sims also only got 4 minutes and while he didn’t do much, just his presence on the boards was nice to see. His physical presence and effort warrant a patient approach to development. I still think he’d be best served by getting a ton of reps in the G-league, but our papier-mache big men make it hard to send him down.
Tom Thibodeau won’t bother looking for a winning combination:
Tom Thibodeau: Tom Thibodeau talked about effort and mentality in the post-game presser. He made the factual statement that there are no magic bullets to turn around a team that’s struggling. He’s right, but that also doesn’t feel like a great excuse to trot out a lineup that’s not working. If the issue is mentality then bench a player or two who isn’t living up to his role. Send a message that lackadaisical attitudes won’t be acceptable. This should be easy since the bench routinely outplays the starting line-up.
Or maybe it isn’t. Julius Randle’s body language has sucked for most of the season. Evan Fournier vanishes like he’s got the effects team from Now You See Me backing him up. Kemba and RJ seem like they leave it all out there, but they’ve jockeyed between good and completely unhelpful in their own rights. This team feels doomed to fail unless it makes actual, tangible changes that the coach continues to appear unwilling to make.
I haven’t really talked much about in-game decisions, because it was a blowout and none of them really mattered. Letting the bench play extra minutes was nice, especially with a second game coming a day later. That’s it…that’s all of my praise for Thibodeau. These struggles aren’t all on Thibs, but his refusal to adjust is leaving every other variable in place to do more damage. Thibodeau gets a 1.5 out of 5 for not doing much to help anyone.
Closing Thoughts:
So after that brutal recap, I’m still saying, “let’s not panic.” The Suns have been crushing just about every opponent they meet lately. The Knicks have managed just enough cushion to get away with a letdown if they bounce back with gusto. They have every reason to come out with some fire because the Hawks are the next opponent and that adds some rivalry spice to the recipe.
The Knicks are going to have poor shooting nights. Teams come out flat sometimes and it comes down to how they bounce back that determines a playoff squad from a tank platoon. It’s why New York has managed to float around .500 even with some ugly games scattered throughout their first quarter of the season. More importantly, we’re beginning to see youthful pieces look more prepared to come in and fight for more minutes. The pressure to perform is mounting.
I think a match-up with Atlanta is a blessing whether the Knicks win or come out flat and get blown out again. So much of the offseason felt directly inspired by the first-round exit New York suffered at the hands of the Hawks. If this team was going to fire itself up, this is the game to do it. If they’re going to continue to be flat, this ought to be the match-up that rings the alarms for Thibodeau, Perry, and Leon Rose to make some changes. I’ll be on a mini-vacation, so I won’t get to revisit the action for that one. But we’ll discuss the developments soon 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, catch CK and Julito recap the key moments of the Knicks win over the Lakers!
