j4remi wrote:I told yall that the G league cats were gonna kill the streak. Along with the arrival of Smith and Jordan; the additions of Allen and Jenkins really have the Knicks looking like an entirely different team. The ball is moving more freely, the defensive effort is more sincere and they're just more fun to watch right now. Don't get me wrong, the team is still lacking firepower to keep up with quality sides, but the brand of basketball is they're playing is just more enjoyable. There were still some forces and frustrating TO's; spells where players were just settling (Luke wtf); and defensive lapses, but a 19 year old missing a switch is far more feasible than a 26 year old with multiple seasons making the same mistakes. For team tank, I feel your pain but a young team needs pick me ups and with the NY beat writers desperate to spur negativity; I'm okay with breaking up the losing streak. This team has been fighting hard recently and I think they really deserved a rewarding victory (wish it woulda been at the Garden though). Let's go deep,
Smith: Dennis Smith Jr was incredibly efficient for a guy that missed 5 FT's, but it was his passing that stood out most of all. He has an obvious rapport with Deandre Jordan but it looks like it'll translate to Mitch just fine since both are high flying rim runners. Smith was finding people, passing up good looks for better ones and just making a lot of things happen out there. By settling less, Smith was able to shoot reasonably well on limited takes. Smith managed 19 pts, 7 assists and 2 rebounds on 7/10 shooting over 32 minutes. He also knocked down 2/3 three pointers and only had 1 TO. There were still jump passes and I'm kinda surprised he gets away with it as much as he does, but that's kind of a testament to his hops, vision and ability to improvise...still a bad habit though. The real blemish last night was the free throw shooting and he was good enough everywhere else that while this is a problem to address, we're not gonna linger on it.
Dot: Back to SG's playing the SG role in the starting line-up and didn't everything just kinda come together better? Damyean Dotson couldn't find the three ball but found ways to be productive anyway, dropping 13 points and 5 boards in 21 minutes. That's solid production from a player who gives you plenty to talk about on defense, including a steal and a block last night. In terms of efficiency, Dot had some issues with the J again; he went 4/11 from the field and just 1/7 from three. The jumper looked at it's purest when Dotson took an extra step into the midrange which has become sorta taboo these days but if that's what he's converting...take the dribble fam! Anyway, we've got a good idea of what Dot's gonna give us and this fell into the range of his typical positive impact.
Knox: Kevin Knox started the game like a bat out of hell, grabbing a ton of boards that sparked good plays whether he finished, drew fouls or passed. But after he came out of the game, he never really got that same flow going. Knox finished 2/9 from the field with both makes coming from three point land (2/3) and put up 9 points, 10 boards and 3 TO's over 22 minutes. The forays to the basket weren't as rewarding in this one but they're always a welcome sight. The worrisome aspect was that Knox was pretty lethargic defensively. Walt and Breen even had a discussion about his failure to close out aggressively and the need to show growth in these sorts of areas by this point in a season. They were right, Knox looked like he'd taken a step back with some lapses where it just looked like he missed a switch or should have asked for one. Either way, the energy burst in the first seemed to leave him fatigued the rest of the way and that's the optimistic reading.
Kornet: Luke, buddy, we need to talk. You had 16 attempts last night which was 5 more than the next starter in line for shots. You went 3/10 from three and converted nothing inside that line, even at one point going full iso-Zo impersonation in a really sloppy display. I love the enthusiasm Luke but first off, you gotta convert the open three's you get and second of all, if you're even missing the open ones then why on Earth are you forcing contested ones instead of moving the ball? Also, you're 7 feet tall and grabbed 3 boards in 31 minutes, that's a problem. All that said, though 11 points and 3 boards doesn't describe everything. You played solid D in the zone and even in man to man situations, adding 4 steals and a block plus you definitely help open things up for everyone. But for the love of God, swing passes are your friend! Swing, cut, find space...you're active enough to do that instead of rushing a bad shot.
DJ: There's a left handed alley-oop finish from Deandre Jordan that you'll definitely want to look up if you missed this game. Jordan has been consistent since he's gotten here, posting a comfortable double double in 29 minutes last night. The Knicks best vet put up 10 points and 13 rebounds in that span to go with 3 blocks. He's been a steady presence on the court and in the huddle. We appreciate you DJ.
Allen: The mystery continues, "can Kadeem Allen keep this up?" and the answer so far has been a resounding yes. Kadeem Allen's game is built on a good motor and smart play. With his running mate, Jenkins playing, Allen showed more playmaking than we've seen in any other game as well. The G-league standout gave the Knicks 14 points and 9 assists on 5/9 from the floor and he made his only three point take. That's great production for 24 minutes and only gets better when you consider that he's a harassing defender that shows the same IQ on both ends. He's effective, it seems sustainable but hey...I was really excited about Chasson Randle once, so I'm taking it slow here.
Jenkins: I've got to confess that when John Jenkins was out there, I spent a lot of possessions just watching the dude work off the ball. He's legitimately fun to watch creating chaos by setting and using screens, finding space and than taking advantage of late approaching defenders. Even with his sharp shooter status not quite up to par, Jenkins shooting was a cut above most of the roster and tremendously helpful. He gave the Knicks 14 points, 5 boards and 2 assists on 6/13 shooting and 2/6 from three. That's a nice reward for 26 minutes of straight up work. It's even earlier for Jenkins than Allen to make any declarations, but the style of basketball he played last night is among my favorite to watch (and why I like Klay Thompson a lot as a sleeper FA option).
Trier: Trier was a little bit lost in the shuffle, playing a solid but fairly quiet game. In 19 minutes he went 2/2 and gave the Knicks 6 points and a rebound. I honestly don't have much to offer on this one, there was nothing too bad about the performance but there weren't as many touches and thus a lot less to critique. I'd like to see him more involved than this and that's not just on him.
Vonleh: With as bad as Luke has shot, Vonleh might be able to get back in there and chuck his way to similar efficacy. The promising big is still finding his way back to productivity but was solid in 17 minutes for 4 points and 4 boards on 2/5 shooting with no three's taken. I swear it's the three pointers that had Vonleh looking like a stud earlier and they'd open his game right back up again if he can find that shot.
Mitch: I don't really understand why Mitchell Robinson only played 19 minutes. Mitch was once again, every Hawks nightmare and particularly Trae Young. Robinson put up 6 points, 7 boards and 4 blocks in his too brief run of play. He started on an alley-oop and contributed 3 offensive boards in his run as well. His time on the floor is the must see portion of any Knicks game, Mitch can fly and his motor is as unreal as his athleticism. Since there's not much new to add, let's talk about Mitch the bully. I caught Trae Young acting a fool in the first half, trying to snatch the ball out of Robinson's hands on a dead ball. Mitch didn't forget that foolishness either. In the second half Young tried to handle the rock full court for a quick bucket but Mitch ran step for step with him, threw the shot into the third row and made sure to walk into Young's path repeatedly after the play. It was glorious!
Fiz: Play Mitch more! Other than that...Dot starting again was nice, Jenkins getting burn good, the Knicks won. Solid night but he's getting the same "wait and see" treatment that I give him after bad nights as I'll give him on a good one here.
Thanks for this. Too bad neither of our tabloids is able to offer this kind of analysis - but they try to make up for that by stirring up controversy, don't they!
I really like that the kids got a chance to see how it can all come together when they do the right things. This is a big part of their education, and I'm sure they're young enough that victories won't come frequently enough to spoil the tank.
One player really impresses me - that's DJ. The reason is that on a purely physical level, he has a lot in common with Kanter. Both 6'11", both able to be effective around the rim due to their height. But in terms of playing, they're like night and day. Kanter, as we all know, had no concept of D. DJ also knows how to space the floor -- I don't see him clogging the lane, cutting off our own drives. He can pass. He seems to be very comfortable with an offense that shows a lot of ball movement, and he seems to have a pretty high BBIQ. All of these things mean that his double-doubles help a lot more than Kanter's did, because they don't come at the expense of team play on offense or at the expense of good defense. And I appreciated DJ's
leadership instead of
clownsmanship.
When Kanter played, inserting Mitch into the game meant that we had to change our style of play. That really made it hard for the kids to get a good idea of the offense, and it probably contributed as much as anything to our having to play the zone defense. Now when Mitch subs in for DJ, it seems we're still the same team. It's just that Mitch brings his own incredible extras to the game.
Watching Mitch develop (I know it's so frustrating to see his limited minutes, even when he's keeping his fouls under control) makes me seriously question just how much of an upgrade AD will be over what Mitch will be in 2 or 3 years. I'm beginning to doubt that the potential upgrade would justify trading many valuable assets (picks or good kids). Mitch also seems like a smart kid with a great attitude who delivers every game - he's not the kind of "He'll be great when he bulks up and learns to play" guy we just traded away.
We can't count on Mitch being better than AD (although we can still dream), but it's beginning to look like giving up Mitch plus significant assets might not be worthwhile from the standpoint of overall team play, the ability-age curve, and the relative salaries (creating cap room for more stars with a rookie scale player vs. a Max vet).
How Perry handles this issue is going to be paramount to our future as a team. He may have done a good job with the Mavs trade, even if KP plays well for them. But he'd have to show a lot of self-control to avoid the "obvious" choice of going for the star at all costs, especially when we have room for FA's and might very well get a real player in this year's draft. Not trading the whole team for AD might not be popular with some of the tabloids (yeah, here I go again about them), but it could come down to saying that AD is not a proven winner, he hasn't elevated his team to the next level, so we need to limit how much we can deplete our future to bring him on board. And also, after having just dealt a diva, after the way the trade demand has been made, I'd like to be sure we're not going to get another one in return.
