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The New York Knicks have been playing their young players a lot more this year, something that represents a big departure for coach Tom Thibodeau.
Last season, we saw the Knicks ride veteran center Taj Gibson as much as they could, but things are different this year. Gibson is in Washington, and vets Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose are out of the regular rotation, so that has led to players like Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride seeing a bigger minutes load.
To their credit, both players have stepped up, especially in light of the injuries to Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett, and coach Thibodeau has taken notice of the work his two young guards are putting in.
Thibodeau Praises His Guys
Grimes was a coveted player in the offseason during the Donovan Mitchell trade talks, and he’s starting to show just why that was the case.
In 26 games this season, his numbers are up across the board, and he looks like he’s only improving. In the heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Mavericks to close out December, he scored a career-high 33 points on 12-25 shooting, and if he can continue to churn out performances like that, the Knicks can go far.
As for McBride, he’s seen a minutes bump because of injuries, and he’s making a case for himself that he deserves more minutes. Despite the poor shooting night against the Rockets, a game where he shot just 1-10, Thibodeau still thought he did well.
“Grimes was terrific,” Thibodeau said, via SNY. “And I thought even though Deuce [McBride] didn’t shoot the ball well, I thought he played a really good game too. I thought the defense of Deuce and Quentin was outstanding. Everyone has a role, for those guys they can impact the game greatly with their defense and they usually do.”
In the case of Grimes, he’ll remain a key cog once everyone’s healthy, but McBride might struggle to find consistent minutes. In 25 games played this year, McBride is averaging 14.2 minutes per game but he’s only putting up 3.9 points per game. He remains a long-term development project, but he seems to have a fan in Thibodeau, which is a good thing.
Thibodeau has praised the way the players are able to step up and fill the void left behind by injures.
“You don’t want to see anyone get hurt, obviously,” he said. “But anytime someone does get hurt, it’s an opportunity for someone else to step in and grow and learn. Playing time is important. And that’s why you need a team, we always say, ‘Next man be ready, you don’t know when your opportunity comes.’ You have the responsibility to be ready for your team, and so credit to those guys for doing that.”
Grimes Looks Solid
Since the Knicks didn’t land a superstar in the offseason, they had to bank on their young guys developing into something more. So far, it looks like Grimes is doing just that, and he’s played a important role in the team’s success.
While they are sitting just a game over .500 as of January 2, that leaves them in a good position to secure a playoff spot. Once they get healthy again, this is a team that has proven they can compete with anyone on any given night.
There’s no telling if a big trade will come at some point, but with Cam Reddish, Rose and Fournier all available in trade talks, the Knicks do have the potential to make something happen.
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