Getty Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks in action against the Washington Wizards.
The New York Knicks are slated to take part in their opening night exhibition of the 2022-23 regular season on October 19 against the Memphis Grizzlies, and fans are enthralled by the potential this new-look group has.
With top-billed free agent point guard Jalen Brunson now running the show at point guard and teaming up with centerpieces RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, the Knickerbockers managed to go 3-1 through the preseason and already showcased numerous improvements in their production and efficiency when in comparison to last year.
Unfortunately, their bench unit is still somewhat of a concern heading into the new campaign, as they ranked near the bottom in a multitude of statistical categories during their four-game slate, including three-point percentage (ranked 21 at 31.7%), points per game (ranked 22 at 49.3), field goal percentage (ranked 25 at 41.0%), and plus-minus rating (ranked 26 at -0.3).
Now, when discussing the matter of the second unit’s lackluster production throughout the preseason during an October 16 post-practice media session, head coach Tom Thibodeau agreed with the notion that they’ve been underwhelming, though stated that a large reason for why is because of their lacking health.
Undoubtedly, this second team with guys like Derrick Rose and Quinten Grimes at full-strength joining the rest of the bunch should lead to a major improvement from a production standpoint. That said, overall health may be something this group needs to wait on, as the Knicks are heading into game one with several of their players’ statuses being “up in the air.”
Knicks Considering Lineup Alterations
The most recent player to be listed as “questionable” as we approach New York’s bout against Memphis is third-year big man Obi Toppin, who rolled his ankle during the team’s October 14 preseason matchup against the Wizards and has been limited ever since.
Per an October 17 article by the New York Post, writer Ethan Sears mentioned that Thibodeau was asked what the plan would be should they be missing depth at the power forward spot heading into the new season.
In response, the head coach stated that the talent pool they possess has the potential to be quite diverse when it comes to positions, and noted that they’ve been experimenting with placing players at different spots within the rotation.
“We’ve been trying to work on some guys playing multiple positions,” Thibodeau said about the power forward position, via the New York Post. “We also have the ability to go small. RJ did that some for us last year, we’re comfortable with that. Cam’s capable of doing it as well, so we have that flexibility. Isaiah [Hartenstein’s] done it some for us.”
Perhaps the most interesting option mentioned by Thibodeau is Cam Reddish who, at 6-foot-8, 217-pounds has arguably the most ideal fit for the modern-day four spot, while the fact that he now finds himself in a contract year after failing to receive an extension could push him to play some of his best brand of basketball yet.
Randle Compares Knicks Guard to Former Teammate
During a post-practice media session on October 16, Julius Randle was asked if he was at all surprised by how quickly Jalen Brunson has managed to mesh with the Knicks.
In his response, the big man admitted that he actually was, going as far as to say that the ease with which they’ve all managed to fit together is reminiscent of when he was initially paired up with a former teammate of his back during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“At least from my personal time [being] in this league, it’s probably about as easy [of] a fit, at least from the point guard position, I’ve seen,” Randle told the reporter. “Another one was with Lonzo [Ball] when I played with him in [Los Angeles]. His first year he was easy to play with from the start.
“But yea, Jalen’s been great from day one so it surprised us a little bit but if you watch his tape and know the type of player he is he’s a very high IQ player so he’s going to figure it out and he has.”
During the four exhibitions Brunson has played for the Knicks thus far New York has lost just once while the point guard has averaged 17.8 points per game on a highly efficient 49.0% shooting from the floor and 46.2% shooting from deep.
The 26-year-old also has managed to post 4.3 assists (tied with Randle for top rank on the team), 3.5 rebounds, and just shy of a steal per game.