Ending on a High Note
New York has a successful conclusion to the preseason, with a lot to be excited about for when the real games begin.
Good morning! Are you ready for some real Knicks basketball? I’ll forgive you if the answer is “Wait, the season is starting?” as both baseball and football have been grabbing their fair share of headlines lately. But yes, the New York basketball team concluded its preseason on Friday night, and are ready to head into Memphis to tip it off for real on Wednesday. Today though, I’ll have a full recap of Friday night’s affair, and then tomorrow, Part I of the only season preview you’ll ever need.
🗣 News & Notes ✍️
🏀 All of this weekend’s big NBA news emanated out of Golden State, where the Warriors put the league on notice that they’re going to continue spending big, no matter how much it costs them in luxury tax moving forward.
The total money for both guys together topped a quarter of a billion dollars and should keep each player by the bay for the next five seasons (although Wiggins’ four-year, $109 million extension contains a player option in the final year).
From a Knicks perspective, the Wiggins extension removes arguably the last potentially intriguing target from next summer’s free agent class. There are still talented players who can enter unrestricted free agency, but they’re either on the older side, unlikely to leave their current situation, or both. Given how the Knicks operated this summer, it seems like they intended to be an over the cap team all along, as nothing short of a Russell Westbrook trade would put them in position to open up anything close to max cap space in 2023. As a result, unless you think there’s a chance the season goes sideways and they enter the Wemby/Scoot sweepstakes, their only paths to significant improvement remain internal development and the trade market, at least until 2024.
As for Jordan Poole, you can add his name to the list of players who RJ Barrett will now be compared to, fairly or unfairly. Like Tyler Herro, Poole’s extension tops RJ’s in both total dollars ($140 million to $120 million) and total guaranteed money ($120 million to $107 million). Considering the Golden State sixth man couldn’t even stay on the court during the Finals because of concerns about his defense, it’s safe to say that Barrett just added yet another chip to the ever-growing load atop his broad shoulders.
🏀 Tom Thibodeau gave a positive update yesterday on Obi Toppin, who twisted his ankle Friday night after landing on a fan’s foot following a 3-point attempt. Toppin was held out of practice, but Thibs described that measure as “precautionary” and said he thought Obi would be ready to go for the opener in Memphis on Wednesday.
Game Recap: Knicks 105, Wizards 89
⌚️30 Seconds or Less: This was about as see-saw as a game can get. New York jumped out to a 23-5 lead behind a barrage of buckets from Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett before Washington stormed back to tie the game at 36 all, mostly against a Knicks bench struggling to find cohesion. The starters again put some distance between the teams, opening the second half with a 21-8 run, and while the Wizards made one more push late in the third, New York’s lead never got below double digits in the final frame.
🤕 Injury Front: Other than Obi Toppin’s twisted ankle which doesn’t seem like it will hinder him come Wednesday, the Knicks came out of this one in full health.
🤔Rotation Reflections: To a certain extent, Tom Thibodeau treated this game like a true dress rehearsal, checking almost all of his starters back in the game midway through the fourth. I say almost all because Evan Fournier wasn’t part of that closing group, as Quentin Grimes took his place.
To that end, Thibs’ sub patterns in the final preseason game allowed him to get a look at all New York’s three wings who are still seemingly fighting for something, whether that be a starting job or a spot in the rotation. It went like this:
Fournier started
Cam Reddish checked in with the bench
Grimes ended the first half with the starters
Fournier started the second half
Grimes checked in early in the fourth, played five minutes with the bench and then closed the game with the starters
My gut feeling is that Fournier starts on Wednesday and for the foreseeable future, but that the job is Grimes’ to steal if his play warrants it. It also wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see Grimes finish games on the regular.
As for Cam, he finished the preseason shooting 6-for-28 from the field and 2-of-12 from deep. His 21.4 percent conversion rate was the lowest for any NBA player who took at least 25 attempts in the preseason. At this point, even if Obi Toppin (or anyone else, for that matter) unexpectedly missed the game on Wednesday, I’d be a little shocked if we saw Reddish get any minutes outside of garbage time.
📸 Play of the Game: I’m going in a little bit of a different direction for the play of the game from Friday night. This is low on the pizzazz scale but an incredibly big deal nonetheless:
Your eyes are not deceiving you: that’s Julius Randle assisting Mitchell Robinson for a made basket - his second preseason dime to Mitch in about 80 minutes of shared court time.
That may not seem like a big deal, but consider this: in over 1400 minutes of shared court time last season, Randle assisted Robinson on just 20 made field goals, or one every 70 minutes. The disparity got even more pronounced after the All-Star break, when Julius dimed up Mitch just once in over 300 minutes.
On paper, one of the biggest issues with the starting five is the presence of two big men who work best inside the arc. For the Knicks to fulfill their offensive potential, these two will have to make it work, and any signs of that happening has to be considered a big deal.
😒 Picking Nits: In the preseason, the Knicks finished 20th in the league in effective field goal percentage. This is, to be clear, not a surprise. New York has finished 20th or lower in eFG% for eight consecutive seasons. Not coincidentally, they haven’t finished higher than 18th in offensive rating during that time.
This season, the Knicks can still be a darn good team even if they don’t make a ton of shots (see: 2020-21, when they were a four-seed despite a bottom-eight offense), but they’ll be putting an awful lot of pressure on their defense if they can’t at least approach a league-average offense. On Friday, outside of the three stars of the game below, New York couldn’t buy a bucket. Besides Mitch, Brunson and Barrett, the Knicks shot just 15-of-55 from the field against Washington. Against solid competition when the games count, they simply won’t have a chance if they can’t have more good shooting than not.
🌹 Rose Garden: If there’s one thing we saw this preseason that we can be fairly certain isn’t indicative of what will happen when the real games begin, it’s the use of Derrick Rose.
In three games (he was held out once for rest), Rose played just under 11 minutes a night. The next lowest healthy rotation player, Evan Fournier, played nearly double that.
Is Thibs listening to the throngs of Knicks fans who want the team to focus on the younger players even if it means eschewing the potential benefits of Rose, who finished third in 6th Man of the Year voting just 16 months ago? I doubt it. Both the coach and his longtime star pupil have spoken recently about there not being much need for Rose to get reps before the real games begin. Considering how Rose knows what Thibodeau wants as well as any NBA player knows what their coach requires of them, I doubt the lack of minutes is an indication of what’s to come.
So what does that mean for New York’s bench? A redistribution of responsibilities, at least to a certain extent. Rose has attempted just 10 shots and dished five assists in the preseason. Compare that to 50 shots and 12 assists for Immanuel Quickley. I’d expect those numbers to balance out, and for Rose to take on a more active role in directing the backup offense.
Is that a good thing? Again, this depends on what your priorities are. If it’s just about making New York function at the highest level possible, it’s hard to argue that the former MVP doesn’t unlock something no one else on the roster is quite capable of finding:
We’ll see how early and often Rose’s number is called starting on Wednesday night. If nothing else, Jalen Brunson’s presence should give Thibs the ability to keep Rose fresh for when the games (hopefully) really count come April.
💫 Stars of the Game 💫
⭐️ RJ Barrett: The final per-36 minute preseason numbers are pretty impeccable: 25.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists on a .483/.500/.813 slash line. The eye test was arguably even more impressive.
This move from Friday’s first quarter - a left-to-right Euro-step, complete with a feathery touch off the glass - was perhaps the prettiest once we’ve seen from New York’s newly extended wing in all four games. The truly hideous attempts we occasionally averted our eyes to seem to now be a thing of the past. In their place are an even more refined arsenal of weapons that Barrett seems eminently comfortable using.
A part of that arsenal, at least if preseason is to be believed, is a burgeoning post-up game that teams will absolutely need to reckon with moving forward:
Kyle Kuzma goes 6'9", 220 - not a small man by any means. And yet, when Barrett turned in towards the paint here, leading with his massive left shoulder, it was game over. Notice also how important Hartenstein is on this play. He darts out to the dotted circle - a range he is deadly from - which pulls Daniel Gafford away from the hoop just enough for RJ to be able to finish unimpeded.
Look for more minutes of Barrett playing with the second unit for exactly this reason. Thibs had RJ in Grimes’ place for about five minutes at the end of the third/beginning of the fourth on Friday night. Much more of that to come, if I had to guess.
⭐️ ⭐️ Jalen Brunson: It was nice to see Brunson finish the preseason on a high note after two subpar shooting games, going 10-of-16 for 27 points and five assists against Washington. He and RJ were easily New York’s most efficient and productive players over the last two weeks.
How has he done it? By being an absolute master of his craft.
Take a moment to appreciate all that’s going on in this play - one of at least a dozen that made me shake my head over the course of four warmup games. Brunson takes the handoff back from RJ, crosses over his man while turning 180 degrees, pivoting back towards the middle once Mitch sets his screen, moving in such a way as to ensure Robinson makes contact with his defender, and finally pulling up with such rapidity the moment Gafford goes for the steal that the big man never has a chance to recover and elevate for the block.
The best part? This is all just par for the course for Brunson. His bag is more bottomless than the hole that transported Alice into Wonderland, and we’re all left grinning like the Cheshire Cat at whatever he has the audacity to pull out next.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mitchell Robinson: This was officially the preseason of Money Mitch.
Mere mortals could be given a trampoline and extendo-arms and they wouldn’t be able to catch the ball at its apex like Robinson does on his second board here. These were two of nine offensive rebounds Mitch grabbed on Friday, with eight coming in the first half. His 20 offensive boards led all players in the preseason, and he chipped in 20 points on a dozen shots against Washington.
He looks every bit the part of a center entering his prime - someone who knows exactly what he’s capable of and how he can best deploy those talents in his role. His pick & role defense appears to be as impactful as any drop center this side of Rudy Gobert. On the other end, there is no carom he cannot get to.
We need to see more, starting on Wednesday when he’ll have his hands full with the absolute load that is Steven Adams, but so far, Robinson has paid off Leon Rose’s decision to keep him and then some.
TOMORROW: Part I of the KFS Season Preview (Yes, this is the for real for real season preview on top of all the other season preview-ish things we’ve covered over the last few weeks.)
🏀
That’s it for today! If you enjoy this newsletter and like the Mets, don’t forget to subscribe to JB’s Metropolitan, or his hockey newsletter, Isles Fix. See y’all soon! #BlackLivesMatter
Great read as always. Agree on seeing Mitch starting to figure it out. Particularly seeing the level of effort and spring in his step during games that don’t count leaves me hopeful he can have a big impact. I was (maybe still am but am taking myself into being less so) concerned about Mitch getting paid and then not being motivated. So far he’s showing otherwise. Let’s go Knicks!
Not crying on The Dubs signings. They are NICE not GREAT players.
The Knicks need to tend their own Garden [See, Marcus Aurelius, Stoicism]. There's a positive vibration surrounding this team. If the guys we have on the Knicks do their best, it'll be a wonderful year.
Wonder if you have ever considered looking at some of the champions that weren't part of a dynastic run like the 1975 Rick Barry/Butch Beard/Jamaal Wilkes Warriors, the 1978 Wes Unseld/Elvin Hayes Bullets, the 1979 Gus Williams/Dennis Johnson/Jack Sikma Sonics, and 2004 Rip Hamilton/Rasheed Wallace/Chauncey Billups/Ben Wallace Pistons? Particularly, the Pistons, since Scot Perry was part of that Front Office. There are many ways to win, though cap concerns impede continuity and building an identity.
Thanks.