Category: New York Knicks Blog

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Knicks on four-game losing streak

The Knicks are taking some losses lately. Via the New York Post:

The Knicks opened the season playing surprisingly good defense. Team legend and MSG analyst Clyde Frazier constantly praised them on the network for playing “tenacious D.”

Tom Thibodeau’s team has strayed, however, from the principles that spurred its surprising 5-3 start while losing four consecutive games entering Friday’s visit to Cleveland.

In each of the four games, their opponents exceeded their season scoring average, and connected on at least 11 attempts from 3-point range.

That coincided with a shooting slump of their own, and the Knicks clearly don’t have the margin for error to revert to lackadaisical play in their own end.

At 5-7, the team still has a decent record. They’v mostly been led by Julius Randle, who is putting up 22.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, and RJ Barrett, who has been averaging 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Julius Randle and RJ Barrett playing huge minutes for Knicks

To nobody’s surprise, a Tom Thibodeau-coached NBA team features some players who are racking up some extremely high minutes. Via the New York Post:

RJ Barrett and Julius Randle lead the NBA as a 1-2 punch in one category.

It’s not in scoring but minutes per game. RJ Barrett, after playing 44 in the Knicks’ loss to Oklahoma City on Friday, entered Sunday’s 114-89 loss to Denver averaging 38.8 minutes. Randle was close behind at 37.7…

At age 19, Barrett played 31 minutes per game as a rookie . Former coach David Fizdale was asked early in Barrett’s rookie season if he were worried about giving a 19-year-old too many minutes. But Barrett remained sturdy and mostly injury free — save one ankle sprain.

The Knicks are off to a solid 5-5 start this season. They’re being led in scoring by Randle at 23.2 points per game, Alec Burks at 20.7 PPG (but in just three games played) off the bench, Barrett at 16.5 PPG, Elfrid Payton at 14.5 PPG, and Austin Rivers at 11.8 PPG off the bench.

Rookie Immanuel Quickley helps Knicks beat Hawks

Julius Randle put up a monster game tonight as the Knicks beat the Hawks 113-108, finishing with 28 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists on 11/19 shooting. And shooting guard R.J. Barrett put up 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals. But a Knicks rookie stepped up and helped secure the win. Via New York Newsday:

Tom Thibodeau has a well-deserved reputation for a fondness for veterans and even as he has taken over a Knicks squad that is among the youngest in the NBA, he still often leans on the players who have been there.

And it seemed a case in point Monday as he rode Elfrid Payton for much of the game as the Knicks were taking on the Atlanta Hawks in the last stop of a four-game road trip. But with 3:51 to play in the third Payton had already played nearly the entire game and the point guard had thrown up more shots than anyone in the game – and missed more than any, too, missing 12 of 18 to that point, playing no small part in the 11-point hole the team found itself.

So Thibodeau turned to rookie Immanuel Quickley, who had played just three minutes and 38 seconds in the game. And almost immediately the game turned, the Knicks closing to a four-point deficit by the end of the quarter and needing just minutes to push in front in the fourth quarter. And Quickley then put the Knicks ahead to stay with clutch free throws as he delivered time after time and the Knicks escaped with a 113-108 win over the Hawks, taking their third victory on the trip.

Quickley scored 16 points — 15 in the final 16 minutes — and showed that Thibodeau could have faith in rookies, too.

Knicks rookie Obi Toppin excited for preseason debut in MSG

There won’t be fans in the stands at Madison Square Garden tomorrow due to the global coronavirus pandemic, but it’ll still be a very cool experience for Knicks rookie forward Obi Toppin to play his first game there. Via New York Newsday:

“It’s going to be amazing,” Toppin said. “I’m from here. I’ve been watching the Knicks all my life. My family’s been a fan of the Knicks since I wasn’t even born. Me having an opportunity to step on the court with these guys and compete against another team is going to be amazing. I can’t wait for that time to come.

“I think I’ve been to a couple, no more than five games growing up. But my grandfather on my mom’s side had season tickets and he’d go to every game. You go to dinner with him and he’ll tell you a thousand stories of him going there.”

The Knicks went 1-1 in their two preseason games against the Pistons, and on Wednesday and Friday they’ll play a pair against the Cavs.

Early look at Knicks center rotation of Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel

The Knicks have a talented young center prospect in Mitchell Robinson, and a new-addition journeyman veteran center in Nerlens Noel. In the team’s first preseason game, a win over the Pistons, Noel started, though his time on the court was just three minutes more than Mitchell’s. Here’s the New York Daily News with an early preseason look at it:

There’s redundancy with the Knicks two centers and Mitchell Robinson noticed it when his team signed Nerlens Noel.

“It was just like, ‘Oh well, I mean, now we’ve got like two players who do the same thing,” Robinson said. “Got to live with it, keep working.”

Despite the hype over Robinson and the expectation of a big leap in Year 3, the 22-year-old was again a reserve in the preseason opener Thursday. Noel, 26, started and was highly effective, scoring 10 points with eight boards on 5-of-7 shooting in 25 minutes.

Robinson had just two points and four fouls in 22 minutes, but also collected four steals and two blocks. He denied that his pregame “No loyalty” Instagram post was about being benched.

And the New York Post:

After all, the center tag team duo of Noel-Robinson was a gem defensively in Friday’s preseason-opening 90-84 victory with the tall duo combining for 15 rebounds and four blocks. Robinson also had four steals.

“It is what it is,” Robinson said Sunday after the Knicks’ morning shootaround in Detroit. “I’m going to go out there and play hard. I really don’t mind starting or don’t mind not starting. I don’t have hurt feelings. I’m just going to go out there and just be the best me.”

When pressed on how much he cares about it, Robinson stated, “Not really. As long as I can go out there and help my teammates I really don’t care if I start or not. It’s early. I’m not going to sit down and pout about it. I’m not going to make a problem or whatever. As long as I get to play, I’m fine with that.”

Pistons hoping for better frontcourt production Sunday vs. Knicks

The Knicks beat the Pistons yesterday on Day 1 of NBA preseason. The two teams have a rematch tomorrow. Via the Detroit News:

The rematch will feature some adjustments from Friday’s Knicks win, as the Pistons committed 22 turnovers and shot just 32.5% from the field and 26% on 3-pointers. In a typical season, coaches would move on to the next opponent, but one of the benefits of the new setup is that they can make adjustments and try them out on the same opponent without having to wait as long…

Another concern was the lack of production from Jerami Grant (1-for-11 from the field) and Blake Griffin (3-of-11), and the two combined to go 2-of-12 from beyond the arc. Grant settled for some long jump shots, which Casey’s offensive philosophy tries to limit.

There are plenty of players of interest in this game, but the ones at the top of our list are Griffin, Grant, Pistons rookie Killian Hayes, and Knicks rookie Obi Toppin.

Knicks re-sign Elfrid Payton

The New York Knicks have re-signed guard Elfrid Payton.

The team waived Payton recently, but have now brought him back on what is reportedly a one-year, $5 million deal.

Payton, 6-4, 195-pounds, averaged 10.0 points, 7.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds over 27.7 minutes in 45 games (36 starts) for New York last season. The Gretna, LA native was originally signed on July 8, 2019 and then waived on November 19, 2020.

He holds career averages of 11.0 points, 6.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds over 29.3 minutes in 387 games (331 starts) over six seasons with Orlando, Phoenix, New Orleans and New York. He was originally selected by Philadelphia 10th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft out of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Knicks sign Theo Pinson to two-way contract

The New York Knicks have signed guard/forward Theo Pinson to a two-way contract.

Pinson, 6-foot-5, 212-pounds, was claimed off waivers from Brooklyn on June 26 and participated in OTAs with New York in September before the team declined his option on November 19. He appeared in 51 games over two seasons with Brooklyn averaging 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 11.3 minutes last season. In 2019-20, he also appeared in nine games (all starts) for the Long Island Nets (G League), averaging 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists over 31.8 minutes. In 43 career games with Long Island, he holds career averages of 19.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists over 34.8 minutes in 43 games (all starts).

The Greensboro, NC-native was originally signed by Brooklyn to a two-way contract on Sep. 19, 2018 after going undrafted out of the University of North Carolina in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Knicks sign Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

The New York Knicks have signed forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Kidd-Gilchrist’s Knicks contract isn’t on the larger side, to say the least. Per the New York Post, “the one-year deal includes just $50,000 in guaranteed money, The Post’s Marc Berman reported.”

Kidd-Gilchrist, 6-6, 230-pounds, holds career averages of 8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists over 24.6 minutes in 446 career games (356 starts) over eight seasons with Charlotte and Dallas. He averaged 2.4 points and 2.7 rebounds over 11.2 minutes in 25 games with the Hornets and Mavericks last season. In 2013, he was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team after averaging 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 26 minutes in 78 games (77 starts).

More from the Post: “The 27-year-old Kidd-Gilchrist didn’t pan out the way the Hornets thought he would when they drafted him in 2012, but he has become a defensive specialist who could fit in well under new defense-minded Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.”

The Philadelphia, PA-native was originally selected by Charlotte with the second overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft after his freshman season at the University of Kentucky. A consensus Second Team All-American, Kidd-Gilchrist helped lead the Wildcats to the 2012 National Championship, earning NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team honors, as well as First Team All-SEC and All-SEC Defensive Team honors for the season. He played high school basketball at St. Patrick’s in Elizabeth, NJ.

Knicks sign rookie guard Immanuel Quickley

The New York Knicks have signed rookie guard Immanuel Quickley.

Quickley, 6-3, 188-pounds, was selected by Oklahoma City with the 25th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and then had his draft rights traded to New York in a three-team deal with Minnesota on Nov. 20.

He averaged 10.1 points on 46.2-percent shooting from the field (39.7-percent from downtown), 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 67 games (27 starts) over two seasons at the University of Kentucky. He was named the 2019-20 SEC Player of the Year and earned All-SEC first team honors after recording 16.1 points (42.8-percent from downtown) and 4.2 rebounds over 33.0 minutes in 30 games (20 starts).

The Havre de Grace, MD-native was a two-time state champion at the John Carroll School in Bel Air, MD. He was named an All-State selection three times and the 2015-16 Baltimore Sun Metro Player of the Year. He was also a member of the USA U17 and U19 teams, winning gold with the U17 team at the FIBA Championships.