Getty Will Barton of the Denver Nuggets heads for the net as Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks.
As October 19’s season opener in Memphis rapidly approaches, New York Knicks fans are finding new pertinent bits of information about the team surfacing with each passing day.
Now, though to some, many of these storylines may be viewed as being a tad trivial and inconsequential, recently Tom Thibodeau made some remarks that should draw the attention of many of the franchise’s faithful followers.
During a post-practice media session on October 1, when the head coach was asked whether the Knicks would consider playing a “five-out” offensive scheme with star big man Julius Randle at center, he responded with a rather surprising answer, stating that they already feel as though they can run such a plan with typical starting pivot Mitchell Robinson on the floor.
“We play five-out with Mitch,” Thibodeau said. “Mitch can play there, but we can do Julius at center too. Those guys are interchangeable on a lot of things.”
Hearing comments such as these could be somewhat shocking for a large portion of the Knicks’ fanbase, as Robinson is best known for his interior-oriented style of play and lacking jump shot.
However, based on some offseason buzz, there could be some truth behind Thibodeau’s stance as we inch closer to 2022-23.
Robinson Has Dropped Hints of Improved Jumper
Last season, Robinson attempted just 28 of his 343 shot attempts from outside the restricted area and has yet to hoist a single three-pointer during his five-year career.
However, despite his lacking track record in this area of the game, this offseason the 24-year-old has seemingly been dropping hints that his shooting range could soon expand.
Back on August 23, a video surfaced of the big man working on his shooting stroke, displaying a tight form when at the free-throw line, knocking down five straight shots before ending the clip by saying “take that for data” to the camera.
Swishell Robinson
Just a few weeks after this video came to light, Robinson was found responding to a fan, leaving a cryptic message when a Twitter user stated that he would give the big $100 if he “shoots one 3 pointer this season.”
In the modern NBA, a three-point stroke is a key weapon to possess for any player, even for top-billed big men such as Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Joel Embiid.
And while all of these aforementioned talents have proven themselves capable of knocking down long-range jumpers at a shooting clip north of 37% during their careers, as already mentioned, the Knicks’ big has not yet attempted a single shot from this range.
Already considered to be one of the association’s most intimidating rim protectors, Robinson finds himself averaging 4.1 blocks per 100 possessions for his career while boasting per-game averages of 8.4 points and 7.5 rebounds on an astonishing 72.2% shooting clip from the field.
Being that he’s already the record holder for the highest field-goal percentage in a single season (74.2% back in 2019-20) perhaps adding a consistent three-point jumper to his game could make the big man truly elite on both ends of the floor and, with Thibodeau’s recent comments, it appears he’ll have increased opportunities to experiment in this area.
Barrett Not Fazed by Knicks Trade Rumors
During Knicks media day on September 27, an attending reporter asked stud wing, RJ Barrett, what his feelings are about the constant trade rumors that were found surfacing this past offseason, and, in his response, he seemed to be unfazed and rather philosophical.
“I think lots of people’s names have been in trade rumors. The best of the best have been in trade rumors,” Barrett said. “A rumor’s a rumor. What ended up happening out of that is I’m in a [Knicks] jersey. So, I guess a rumor really means nothing.”
The 22-year-old finds himself coming into his fourth season in the league fresh off posting a career-high in points per game last year, averaging 20.0 to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists, and, thanks to his production, he earned a new contract extension with New York worth up to $120 million through 2027.
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Knicks Coach Hints at Significant Shakeups to Frontcourt Scheme