Getty Julius Randle of the New York Knicks links arms with his teammates for the national anthem.
The New York Knicks have endured quite a bit of change and shakeups over the last several years, with coaches, talents, and front-office executives coming and going like an ocean’s tide.
However, one constant with this iteration of the ball club has been the pairing of RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, who, as of this writing, have shared the floor on 192 separate occasions throughout their four seasons serving as teammates.
To put this into perspective, the most recent Knicks duo to have shared more on-court action is Allan Houston and Kurt Thomas, who totaled 430 regular season games from 1998 to 2005.
Now, while this statistic could certainly be viewed as a positive sign for the franchise, as one could argue it shows a sense of stability, some believe that the partnership between Barrett and Randle is not meant to last and will come to an end at some point in the not too distant future, or, at least, well before the aforementioned 430-game threshold.
In a November 2 piece by Knicks Film School, Knicks analyst Jonathan Macri delved into why the tandem’s play style just simply does not fit the “number one glue skill” in the modern-day NBA which, as he noted, is shooting, and pointed out how they were two of six players to ” play at least 2000 minutes and sport at least a 27 usage rate” that failed to eclipse a 50.0 effective field goal percentage last season.
Macri would continue by suggesting that, at least on paper, the concept of parting ways with Randle and inserting the better shooting Obi Toppin into a core trio consisting of him, Barrett, and Jalen Brunson could be a move worth making for the Knicks moving forward, though suggested that the upside such a unit possesses would be heavily influenced by “Barrett’s continued growth.”
He then started to close out on the topic by making a bold prediction: that RJ Barrett and Julius Randle will likely part ways at some point in the future.
“In the meantime, it seems like we have enough evidence to suggest that Julius and RJ are not going to eclipse that Houston/Thomas 420-game mark as a Knicks pairing. I’d bet they don’t come close, actually,” Macri wrote.
Macri would follow up his orange and blue prophecy by jokingly saying that, though he believes strongly in his prediction, the duo will “have the rest of the season to prove me wrong.”
Toppin Shines When Given an Increased Role
Throughout his tenure with the New York Knicks, Obi Toppin has struggled to find a prominent role within head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.
Despite improving with every passing year, the 2020 lottery pick currently finds himself logging just 15.5 minutes a night, his lowest average since his rookie season.
However, even with this, Toppin is posting averages of 9.5 points (career-high), 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 56.1% shooting from the floor and a highly efficient 50% shooting from deep, both career highs, in 2022-23.
The power forward has done virtually everything he can to earn an increased role in New York, even posting stellar averages of 20.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and just shy of a block on 57% shooting from the floor and 43.6% shooting from deep when serving as a starter throughout his career, though has yet to be rewarded for it.
The sad and hard truth is that so long as Julius Randle remains with the Knicks, Obi Toppin’s chances of cracking the starting five on a regular basis remain incredibly low, and it is because of this that some people in the know believe the 24-year-old could request a trade out of the Big Apple.
Knicks Guard ‘Situational’ Against Atlanta
After sitting out for a large chunk of training camp, all but one game in the preseason, and the first six games of the 2022-23 regular season it appears that New York’s sophomore guard Quentin Grimes is slated to make his debut on November 2 against the Atlanta Hawks.
Per a report by SNY’s Ian Begley, head coach Tom Thibodeau will use the 22-year-old as a “situational” substitution option during his first game of the year.
Tom Thibodeau says Quentin Grimes will be ‘situational’ tonight as he regains his conditioning after missing all but one of the NYK preseason games and all of the regular season games. Same starting five for the Knicks.
The 2021 first-round pick impressed the Knicks organization and their fan base with his two-way style of play during his rookie season, finishing off the campaign boasting averages of 17.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and just shy of a block per 100 possessions.