The preseason is over. I chose not to write about it because beating the Pistons and Cavaliers is not something to write home about; especially that last preseason game. Some fans were overreacting a bit too much. It took a long time to get to this point, nine months to be exact. Last night was great to watch Knicks basketball. There are some things that need to be worked on, but there were some good things to go along with it as well. With that out of the way, let’s review the Knicks season opener.
Positives
There was not a lot of doubt in fans’ minds about RJ Barrett’s play. Everyone knew that he was going to get better. He was the biggest positive of the night. A knock on him was that he couldn’t shoot the ball very well. He clearly has been working on his shot as he did not miss a three-pointer on his three attempts, as well as getting to the rim often. If he keeps playing like that, the Knicks have something to build on. In addition to that, they did pass the ball a lot better than they did last season.
Without Alec Burks, the Knicks wouldn’t have been as close as they were. Burks was already a good scorer before he got to the Knicks and he immediately paid off dividends. Alec is a good shooter and a solid scorer. He had an additional 22 points on 50-percent shooting off the bench. Julius Randle played solid basketball with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. I expect a little more from him this year because he is the highest-paid player on the roster.
It was opening night so it’s not fair to tear into the team after the first game of the year because you never know how the rest of the year will go. The young players didn’t play well. Mitchell Robinson (more on him in a minute) and Toppin did not play well at all, combining for just four of twelve from the field. To me, I am still not sold on Mitchell Robinson.
Negatives
The Knicks lost by 13. If you compare the team stats, you can see that the game should have been closer than it was. The three biggest reasons why they lost was the rebounding battle. Indiana out-rebounded them by 20, outscored them in the paint by 16 points, and fast-break points by 19 points. That may explain the game Domantas Sabonis had, putting up 32 points and 13 rebounds.
There are some people on the Knicks who are probably one season away from playing overseas or possibly ending up in Cleveland. Frank Ntilikina only played five minutes last night. Which is a sign of concern. The one thing that brings the New York Knicks fans together is their dislike for Frank. Years have been wasted on this man and he is still on the roster. The Knicks refuse to trade him and no one knows why. Somehow Dennis Smith Jr is even worse. He didn’t even fit into the 12 man rotation that the Knicks ran last night.
What Was With the Knicks Starting Lineup?
Reggie Bullock has no business starting anywhere in the NBA. He’s known for his shooting and that’s really it. I would have preferred Burks over Bullock. There were a lot of Knicks fans who wanted to start Quickley after the last preseason game he had when he scored 22 points and 5 steals. I might be one of the few people that didn’t want him to start. Coach Thibs is a defensive minded coached and Quickley is not a defensive minded player. Payton may not be known as a scorer but he fits the scheme better.
Mitchell Robinson was listed as day to day. He had a sprained ankle and shouldn’t even have played. I’m all for players protecting themselves, but if I’m getting more blocks than I am shot attempts and still having some bad fouls, why should you even play? I feel like I’ve been very critical of Mitchell Robinson. He’s suppose to be our Rudy Gobert. It just frustrates me that I haven’t seen any development in his offensive game.
What’s even worse is that the Knicks will have to depend on their outside scoring every night. What will happen when the shots don’t fall one night? Yes, you can rebound and follow up with it, but what about in an offensive set when they dump it down to someone not named Julius Randle? If Mitchell does not develop his game, it will hurt the team this year.
What Now for the Knicks?
Well the next game is the day after Christmas against the Sixers. I wouldn’t expect the line up to change that much. Hopefully Burks starts over Bullock. Defense and rebounding were an issue, but the Knicks are expected to bounce back and pull out a win.
