For many fans the trade deadline was a disappointment, with only Marcus Morris being traded to the Clippers and the return not including Landry Shamet. The Knicks were left with an array of veterans that many fans wanted to see moved for assets to free up time for young players. But the youth didn't exactly provide much material for fans to be mad at against Orlando last night. Young players had muted impacts while some of the vets that fans wanted to see shipped wound up having great performances. The Knicks won 105-103 in a hard fought game against a team currently sitting in the 8th seed for the Eastern Conference (albeit a weak conference). Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton and Taj Gibson led the way with fourth quarter heroics from Wayne Ellington to boot. It was good to see these guys showing fight after the Knicks essentially waved a white flag on the season by dealing out their best player to this point. But it was also tinged with that same deadline disappointment in that the rebuild still feels stagnant, especially as we look around the league at other teams who committed to rebuilds recently (Memphis, Phoenix, Atlanta...fml). Let's explore last night's win though:
Payton: It's starting to look like the Knicks' fate on a nightly basis will come down to how much Elfrid Payton can provide. He's a ball dominant presence out of necessity as much as it is out of play style. He's also on a hell of a two game streak of play, with last night's game being another beauty. Two things stood out with Payton aside from his typical playmaking and that was ball hawking at higher level than normal and finishing inside more effectively. This has been the theme of both these past two games, when Payton gets inside he's becoming a scoring threat.
This may be because defenses had adjusted to his pass first habits, he's adjusted in kind with reverse lay-ups and short floaters. It could also just be that he's a second half player, he was an absolute stud post all star break last season. Either way, by the time he sunk a game tying three pointer in the fourth quarter last night he'd already proven the most important Knick on the floor. Payton posted 15 points, 9 assists, 4 boards and 7 steals on 7/13 from the field in a 33 minute run. He honestly picked on Markelle Fultz all night defensively, picking his pockets and then cheating passing lanes when Fultz was off ball. Great game from Payton!
Ntilikina: In his first start in a while, Frank Ntilikina looked a bit like he had the yips. In the first quarter, he seemed to be a complete afterthought in the offense. His passive play landed him on the bench for the rest of the half. He tried to be more aggressive in the second half but missed his attempts and picked up bad TO's. The one true positive for Frank was that his defense continues to be as advertised. He was all over Evan Fournier, drawing an offensive foul but also picking up a T at one point...he's added physicality to his defensive play and that's a really exciting development for his chances to grow into a true stopper.
Frank only played 14 minutes and tallied 2 points, 1 assist, 1 board and 2 TO's on 1/3 from the field. It was a disappointing showing after he's been really good in recent stints but there's reason to give him the benefit of a doubt. He was switched into a different unit and role which may have thrown him a bit off as he looks for rhythm and chemistry. That said, I'm not about to complain that his minutes were cut because his play warranted the cut in time.
Bullock: It was still an okay performance from Reggie Bullock, but he didn't capitalize on more opportunities offensively and I found his game disappointing overall. Bullock got extra shots but simply did not convert and didn't make a single three pointer. He did a little bit of everything else though and was still valuable for defense, off ball movement and effort. Bullock finished a 30 minute stint with 12 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds on 5/13 from the field and 0/4 from three. The looks were there and I'd suspect better numbers more often than not if he plays this way.
Randle: As Elfrid Payton balls out, Julius Randle's chemistry with the point guard really shines. Randle's finishing ability and unique size/athleticism compliment Payton's passing and ball handling. Last night it was truly on display with Randle having an exceptionally efficient performance. The Knicks number one option put up 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists to 2 TO's, 1 steal and 2 blocks over a 30 minute span. Julius put up 10/16 from the field and that includes a couple of nice midrange jumpers. I prefer those midrange shots to the three pointers because Randle has been pretty bad from deep all year long.
But maybe more important than the offensive efficiency even, Randle had good energy on the defensive end. You may have seen a highlight reel of DSJ throwing an alley-oop to Mitchell Robinson in transition, well that started off of a really nice block from Randle. The big man is still going to make some mistakes defensively and handling the rock, but we've seen improvement in the areas he makes mistakes. If he can put this level of effort defensively and keep the TO's trimmed, then his output as a scorer and rebounder will be more than enough to make up for the mental lapses. But the effort has to stay high.
Gibson: Every once in awhile, Taj Gibson looks like he's back in his prime. Last night was one of those nights, he knocked down the midrange jumper and while his rebound total wasn't wild he put good effort on the boards pretty much all night. Coach Miller rewarded Gibson with extended time and it paid off. Taj put up 19 points and 5 boards on 9/13 from the field over 30 minutes of play; the Magic just didn't have an answer for him. With Nikola Vucevic putting up big numbers as usual, Gibson's added production was a welcome addition. So fans may be frustrated that Mitch got a few less minutes in this one, but you can't ignore a player putting up good production and having such positive impacts. Gibson earned it.
DSJ: We're continuing to see promising signs from Dennis Smith Jr as an athlete and a playmaker. Smith made some nice reads and passes over the course of the night. The kid's just moving around the floor better, you can see just how much injuries were limiting his play early in the season. But there is still a long way to go. Smith couldn't buy a bucket and continues to have head scratching TO's compared to some of his best playmaking moments. The guy will draw three defenders in before making a perfect kickout for an assist then follow it up by dribbling into two players and throwing a jump pass out of bounds. Growing pains fam...
Smith put up 1 point, 6 assists to 4 TO's, 5 boards and 2 steals in 15 minutes. He shot 0/4 from the field and 0/2 from three. The lack of scoring and TO's limited his ability to stay out there. But I want to give DSJ his props for defensive effort. I really felt like he stepped up the energy on that end and was pretty effective on that end. If he's playmaking and defending then you can live with a couple of missed FGA's or a bad TO hear and there but just not both. Even with this one being a mixed bag, it feels like Smith is trending up.
RJ: Nothing was nicer about last night than having our prized rookie back. RJ Barrett came into the game and made his presence felt by getting to line a ton and just driving right at guys. The ankle injury took nothing away from his aggression, he seemed to be chomping at the bit to make things happen. Now I do think he seemed to slow down a bit as the game wore on and the minutes restriction makes sense for the kid. But the second quarter was highlighted by Barrett getting into the teeth of the defense and drawing free throws not to mention a technical for Vucevic.
RJ put up 12 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds in just 18 minutes. He was 3/6 from the field, 1/2 from three and 5/9 from the line...yeah the free throw woes made a return, but let's chalk that up to rust and worry about it if we're still seeing misses two weeks from now. What's most important is that's a ton of production in limited minutes. I like that he knocked down a three too, I thought his footwork going into that jumper was just nice to see with the inconsistency of some of our other young shooters.
Knox: I won't mince words, this was a ROUGH game for Kevin Knox. Knox spent 16 minutes for 0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 TO and third quarter lapses on defense that were hard to forgive. He went 0/5 shooting and 0/1 from three; pointing back to RJ's three point footwork, Knox's was atrocious on that take. He was forcing it. That was the story of his night, pressing on both ends.
That said, I'm gonna give Knox some love for his energy again, especially in the first half. Knox outran Markelle Fultz to completely dead a fast break at one point. He had some solid man to man moments in the first half as well. Giving up a back door cut and putting Ross on the line for three free throws in the second half erased the good will from that early defensive play, but there was a flash of potential there. The motor stuff isn't what's held Knox back recently, he's just trying to make things click and they haven't yet.
Portis: A game like last night tells you why the Knicks couldn't give Bobby Portis away. His contract is too high to have nights like last, where he can't buy a bucket and can be counted on as a net negative defensively. I think on nights like that, he should have as short a leash as the young guys because he's going to take shots but not guaranteed to defend. In 18 minutes, Portis went 1/8 for 4 points and 3 boards while missing 3 three pointers. Bobby struggled everywhere in this one and Mitch coulda used five more minutes out there.
Mitch: Even on a night where his impact was muted, Mitchell Robinson managed to pick up the highlight of the game finishing a half court lob from Dennis Smith Jr. The reason that stood out though is because Mitch outran everyone in transition, that's a big guy to outrun everybody. On the night, we saw another defense focus heavy attention on denying Robinson from his rim running chaos creation. We also saw Mitch continue to be a presence in the middle defensively even when he doesn't block everything thrown up. Mitch finished 19 minutes of play with 6 points, 4 boards and a block but his impact goes well beyond the box score. His presence continues to make life easier for ball handlers attacking the basket and for defenders full stop. Mitch makes defense easier for everyone else...that is all.
Ellington: With Damyean Dotson and Allonzo Trier both flu-ridden (Tyson Chandler flashback) and with RJ Barrett hitting his minutes restriction early, it was up to Wayne Ellington to handle clutch SG minutes in the fourth quarter after a gang of DNP's. Ellington responded with multiple three pointers that turned the second half around. Ellington wound up playing 18 minutes and going 4/7 with all 4 makes being 3 pointers (4/6). He put up 12 points and a rebound in his run time and played a crucial role in the fourth quarter come back. Wayne's floor spreading hasn't really taken hold with the Knicks because he's struggled, but last night was a nice reminder of what it's like when the shooter is on his game.
Miller: There are probably two ways to look at this. The FO is being flipped and that means Miller shouldn't have to stress about playing young guys, vets getting minutes is of his own volition. Or you can say, the vets earned their time in this one while a lot of the young guys simply weren't good or productive. I think both of these statements are true. Mike Miller is coaching for his job and doing an admirable job. He's 12-18 now as the head coach of the Knicks which isn't bad considering his predecessor went 4-18 with the same roster. That improvement has certainly come with a more vet focused approach though. That's an approach most fans aren't interested in. But in terms of efficacy, the same arguments that hold for why the vets play over the youth hold for Miller. This is the best approach to win games that there is.
But the Knicks aren't making a post season run, it's too little too late. They've just dealt out their best player, so the FO doesn't seem worried about that any more either. As a fan base we've been primed for a rebuild and a developmental approach. Does Knox or Frank getting more minutes really fit that bill? Not if they're playing like they did last night, I'm sorry even as a big rebuild guy I can't defend that. Mitch is the only one with a case from last night's game. Now there have been times where I felt Knox or Frank were going well and still didn't see extended action. But this wasn't the night and on the backdrop of a disappointing deadline, this was a nice sobering reminder that sometimes the kids aren't playing because they haven't earned it. I'm cool with a meritocracy as long as it's fair...what I'm saying is bench Portis next time
Keep my name out of this foolishness, cac.
