The Knicks played the Pistons again in their second preseason game. Unlike last time, we are going to look at three takeaways from a disappointing loss. The Knicks struggled in the first half but mounted a comeback in the third quarter, but it was not enough to claim the win. Tom Thibodeau will not be happy with the performance littered with defensive lapses and a stagnant offense. Obi Toppin didn’t have as much of an impact as he did in his debut but showed more flashes of what he can contribute apart from scoring. But just like the win over the Pistons on Friday, it is important to keep in mind that it is still preseason and that many of these players are coming off a nine-month break from competitive basketball.
Zone Defense struggles
Coach Thibs named the same starting five that he had on Friday and Detroit came prepared for them. Detroit knew that the line-up of RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton, Alec Burks, and Nerlens Noel would be hesitant to shoot the ball from three and deployed a zone defense to dare them to shoot open threes while protecting the paint. This was made possible as apart from Burks, who has shot 36.4% from three from his career, the rest of the line-up are all below average three-point shooters. This lack of shooting means that the team has less room to get the looks they would like in the paint due to it being crowded with defenders. The zone could be something that the Knicks encounter very often this season if this lack of spacing is not addressed. Immanuel Quickley, who Tom Thibodeau had recently praised as a great shooter, made his debut in this game and could get more opportunities if he can help the balance of the team.
RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett was a bright spot in what was a very hard game to watch as a Knicks fan. The 20-year-old had 25 points in 36 minutes on a very efficient 58% FG shooting. Despite his three-point shot still not falling, only shooting 1-5 from three, RJ proved that he was still capable when called upon. While he will eventually need to develop a consistent three-point shot, the consistency at which he can knock down mid-range shots and shots at the rim will allow him to still be a threat until he can hit the three. Barrett shook off a rusty first game to have a very solid outing where he also contributed 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal and hit 4 out of his 5 free throw shots, an area he has struggled in. If he can build on this performance and find some consistency this could prove to be a big year for the former Duke man.
Nothing set in stone
What was obvious from the game was the fact that coach Thibodeau is still not set on what his rotation will be. He used 12 players in the game and experimented with different line-ups on the floor. Thibodeau tried a small ball lineup, playing Obi Toppin at the 4 and Julius Randle at the 5. With players such as Austin Rivers and Michael Kidd-Gilchrest still to make their debut, there is certain to be even more experimentation on the coaches end in the final preseason games. Possibly even into the beginning of the regular season if he believes he hasn’t seen enough in the shortened preseason.
The Knicks will be looking to bounce back against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
Check out CP’s reaction to the loss below.
