Among the many red-button issues that New York Knicks fans have with head coach Tom Thibodeau, none is more torturing than his reluctance to play the youth.
Primarily last year’s draft picks, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin have become polarizing talents and topics.
Because while numbers suggest that the team is better when they play, their roles seem ever-changing with the Knicks.
It’s become such a topic of discussion between the fanbase online, that he was asked about fans asking for more Toppin minutes following practice in their first week back from the All-Star break.
His response (via @NBA_NewYork on Twitter) doesn’t incite much optimism that things will change anytime soon:
It’s not necessarily just what’s best for Obi, it’s what’s best for the team. I want him to continue to improve. When we had Derrick and Alec and Quick and Obi, that group functioned really well together.
Toppin is averaging 7.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in just 15 minutes nightly, all up from his rookie year, but advanced statistics suggest that he could contribute more with a larger minute diet.
But will head coach Tom Thibodeau give him the opportunity?
Ironically, it could be his draft classmate, Immanuel Quickley, who sees a bump in the rotation first.
Knicks Making (Yet Another) Point Guard Change
It’s been fun, it’s been real, but it hasn’t been real fun; Kemba Walker’s time as a member of the New York Knicks is all but finished, with the four-time All-Star shut down for the rest of the 2021-2022 season.
The 31-year old is averaging a career-worst 11.6 points and 3.5 assists over 37 appearances this year.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first with reports:
ESPN Sources: The New York Knicks and guard Kemba Walker have agreed that the four-time All-Star will be sidelined for the remainder of the team’s season. Story:
Wojnarowski followed that report up with a second tweet, clarifying that New York and Walker will likely work towards a trade this summer, given that he’ll have just one year left on his contract:
Walker will be on an expiring contract this summer and that’ll offer an opportunity for the Knicks and his agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports to work on trade scenarios in the offseason.
Trust that Kemba’s tenure with the Knicks likely won’t be remembered with grace.
Perhaps that would change if Walker’s departure meant a promotion for Immanuel Quickley, who’s yet to be given an actual shot at the starting point guard job.
But similar to Obi Toppin, Thibodeau (via @IanBegley on Twitter) remained non-committal, and in favor of his veterans:
When asked if a healthy Derrick Rose would start for the Knicks at point guard, Tom Thibodeau said, ‘We’ll see. I think just digging in to the numbers … Alec (Burks) has been our best option so far.’
Alec Burks has been the spot-starter for New York when they’ve been without Kemba this season, whether by design or during the 10-game stretch where he was removed from the rotation altogether.
The results have been middling, fueling more angst from the fanbase.
But it seems that fate, as it so often does, has intervened.
Not even Tom Thibodeau could avoid playing Immanuel Quickley now.
Rose to Miss More Time
Walking out of the All-Star break, not even the most pessimistic of New York Knicks fans could have avoided the looming boost that the returns of Derrick Rose and RJ Barrett would bring.
The former hasn’t played since a mid-December win over the Houston Rockets, and the former has not since February 8th.
Now they’ll have to settle for just one, with the team announcing that Rose will undergo a second procedure on the ankle that’s kept him out this season, with no timeline for recovery.
Derrick Rose will undergo a minor procedure on his right ankle today. A timeline for his return has not yet been set.
Now the question is less as to which of Alec Burks and Immanuel Quickley will start at point guard, and more so a waiting game to see which one will close games.
Meanwhile, fans will keep campaigning for more Obi Toppin, and Tom Thibodeau will likely continue holding out.
READ NEXT: Zion’s Former Coach Blasts Knicks for Trade Speculation
Comments
Tom Thibodeau Shoots Down Fans’ Pleas to Feature Knicks’ Top 10 Pick