Live and Learn

The Knicks season ends, but not before revealing a lot.

Knicks 92, Heat 96

You win or you learn.

Of all the Thibodeau mantras, it is personally the most comforting one for me on this, the day after we learned that the Knicks would not be 2023 NBA Champions.

It wasn’t until last night that we learned this fact for certain, which really is saying something given where the journey began, with a preseason over-under of 38.5 and something like 70-to-1 title odds. Was it likely that they’d pull off the most improbable title run of any team in NBA history? Of course not.

But was it possible? Before last night’s result, how could we say for sure that it wasn’t?

That mere possibility, by itself, makes this season so different from so many of the 22 years that preceded it. At the end of the majority of those campaigns, the only thing we learned was that the Knicks were so far away from title contention that going through specific lessons from the season was futile. Our odds of correcting all ills were usually longer than Lloyd Christmas’. If contenders conditioned themselves to make it through 26.2 miles, the Knicks were often searching for instructions on how to get off the couch.

That is not the case this offseason. Far from it, even after a tough and genuinely disappointing (if understandable) six-game defeat at the hands of the Heat. Last night was the final nail in the coffin, a game that fit in perfectly with the five that came before it: a few stretches of inspired play, when New York resembled the team we fell in love with over the course of 82 games, interspersed among a larger sample size of two-way frustration.

Even so, down two with the ball in the final 30 seconds, they had a chance, but in trying to make the right play - the only thing he ever intends to do on any possession - Jalen Brunson finally made a mistake, attempting to thread a needle to a rolling Julius Randle that wasn’t mean to be threaded.

Brunson, of course, called the turnover “unacceptable,’ lamenting the fact that he failed to get his team a shot attempt in that situation. He will not soon forget the moment, using it as the latest bit of fuel for a flame that seems to grow brighter with each year of his career.

That is what makes Jalen Brunson special, and it is why the most important thing the Knicks learned this season is that they now have a genuine, no-doubt-about-it cinderblock that will be the core of their foundation for years to come. NBA greatness comes in many shapes and sizes - including, occasionally, linebacker-sized point guards with a heart molded from the fires of Mordor - but it is always defined by the insatiable desire to improve. When your best player is also the one who works the hardest to get even better, it’s a great place to be as an organization.

That is Lesson No. 1. Lessons No’s 2 - 10 combined are of less importance, and also less obvious. It is up to the front office to look at how this season ended, identify why it ended, and decide whether those causes require action, patience, or something in between. It could not have been fun or easy to see the other eight players on the court last night combine for fewer field goals (13, on 49 attempts) than Brunson alone (14-for-22).

In Jalen Brunson, who last night became the seventh player in this postseason to put up more than 40 points on at least a 75 true shooting percentage¹, the Knicks have their engine. There are countless ways to go about constructing the proper vehicle to accommodate his talents, but another lesson we learned is that several components are likely already here. In a league where two-way wings are worth their weight in gold, the Knicks have three good ones in RJ Barrett, Josh Hart and Quentin Grimes. Whatever they do this summer, all three should figure prominently in their plans moving forward.

That’s especially true of Barrett, who was predictably despondent after a 1-for-10 night but who nonetheless proved his meddle as a prime time player over the last several weeks. He is unequivocally part of the solution, although his name also figures to be the first one that opposing teams will bring up if Leon Rose goes big game hunting this offseason. That much is clear.

Other pieces are less obvious. For the fourth consecutive offseason, there are more questions than answers surrounding the long term viability of Julius Randle as a core piece. After making just three shots in 14 attempts, Randle carries the second lowest field goal percentage of the postseason among 25 players who have attempted at least 135 shots². Worse yet, his inefficiency isn't the most worrisome part of a playoff performance that again raised concerns about his mental and emotional fortitude in the biggest of moments.

Julius is arguably the biggest question mark, but far from the only one. After an underwhelming postseason that ended in a walking boot, Immanuel Quickley enters his extension-eligible summer and will surely be looking for a massive payday. With a stated desire to someday start, does he carry more value for New York as a long term core piece or as a trade target for a team who might view him as their full time point guard?

Tom Thibodeau won’t be a question mark, at least not right now, not after another season of vastly outpacing expectations. At the same time, after he pushed so many of the right buttons against Cleveland, his decisions against Miami yielded far more uneven results. That included his game plan on defense (“anyone but Jimmy,” which lead to so many good looks down the stretch last night), long thought of as his main strength. He met expectations this year, but those expectations will only increase from here.

There are other lessons that seem fairly clear. The Knicks need quicker and better decision makers and ball movers, more consistent shooting, and a small-ball pivot that doesn’t completely eviscerate their defense but is needed when teams marginalize their centers. Defensively, they need to sure up the fort surrounding Brunson, who is a worthwhile centerpiece but one who nonetheless needs to be properly insulated. For as close as they seemed at times, there is much work to be done.

But the foundation is here - not only in the form of Brunson, but in a culture that seems real, sustainable, and steeped mostly in the right things. Tinker they must, but overhaul they need not.

And that, more than anything, is what separates this season from so many that have come before it. Even two years ago, when there was an obvious need to juice a blah offense, there was a sense that nothing New York could realistically do would take them above pretender status.

That is no longer the case, which is one reason every Knick fan should be filled with genuine hope and excitement for what’s in store, even if the future may hold some difficult and painful decisions.

It is not the only reason though. The main reason that everyone reading these words can hold their head high today is because this group made us proud to be a Knicks fan once more. Even last night, with all its frustrations, they left everything on the court against a team that saps your spirit as much as any opponent in the league. It was a fitting end to a season in which New York was often down, but never, ever out. They didn’t know how to quit. Perseverance and resilience defined them far more than their talent (although they certainly showed that they’re more than a group of unskilled try-hards).

So, like 29 other teams, they will take their lessons to heart and try to improve. It won’t be easy, but then again, it’s not supposed to be. That’s what makes the journey worthwhile.

And while the journey for the 2022-23 New York Knickerbockers may finally be over, their larger quest is just beginning.

None of us will soon forget where it began.

Thanks for the memories, boys.

You made us proud.

🏀

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1. Joining Devin Booker, who did it twice, along with James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Norm Powell, Anthony Edwards and Jamal Murray.

2. His 37.4 percent is ahead of only Jordan Poole’s 34.1 percent. Among the 50 most voluminous shooters in the 2023 NBA playoffs, Randle is one of four to shoot under 40 percent from the field.