Knicks Star Sounds Off on Rivalry With Atlanta Hawks

Getty Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks interact.

Ever since the New York Knicks squared off against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2021 NBA postseason, fans and media pundits have been unapologetically and, in the opinion of some, unjustly trying to make up a rivalry between the two parties.

And while the coverage of their outings since Atlanta’s 4-1 series win has certainly given off the feeling of some sort of long-standing personal feud, it has been New York who holds the better record over their last four outings, as they lead their conference foe in this department three games to one.

Now, heading into their November 2 matchup, the Hawks are the ones stationed ahead in the standings, as they currently reside in the fifth seed, though it’s the seventh-seeded Knicks who will be playing the role of host and, along with this, are coming in with a considerable amount of excitement.

During a November 1 media session, a reporter asked big man Julius Randle what challenges Atlanta presents for New York. In response, the former All-Star noted that while their opponents play at a more up-tempo pace, ultimately, they’re “looking forward” to the matchup.

“They’re obviously a high-powered offensive team. That’s always a challenge within itself. And they play fast-paced so we gotta make sure we’re getting back [to stop] the ball,” Randle told the reporter. “We’re looking forward to it for sure.”

As things currently stand, the young and spry Hawks find themselves ranked 11th in the league in pace of play, while the old-school, Tom Thibodeau-led Knicks have fallen to 16th.

Randle Downplays Knicks, Hawks Rivalry

With a follow-up question, a reporter asked Randle if there’s a change in the “atmosphere” in these matchups between the Knicks and Hawks after having played each other in the playoffs a few years back.

Though the franchise’s faithful followers may be pushing for some sort of a rivalry narrative, the power forward downplayed this type of storyline.

“I mean we’re familiar with them. Obviously, I understand the whole fan perspective and stuff like that but it’s just another game for us to take a step forward,” Randle told the reporter.

Heading into the festivities, both the Hawks and Knicks find themselves on a two-game losing streak and are hoping that November 2 provides the game for them to halt their early-season slide.

Exec Fears Knicks Big Could Request Out

During a recent sit-down with Heavy Sports’ NBA Insider Sean Deveney, an anonymous Eastern Conference executive was asked what players, if any, could wind up asking out of New York at some point in the near future.

In response, the exec mentioned big man Obi Toppin as being someone people should “worry about.”

“I think Obi is the one you worry about because he has done everything a guy like him can do to get more playing time, he has gotten better every year, he deserves to get more of a look on the floor, but as long as they have Julius Randle there, they’re stuck,” the exec told Deveney.

“[Thibodeau] does not play Randle at center at all, so you can’t ever have Obi and Randle out there at the same time. They will have an extension due for Obi next summer and they probably won’t give that to him but, obviously, they need to decide what they’re going to do with him. If they want to package him and move him, they could. A lot of teams like him an awful lot.”

Despite his sound start to year three of his NBA career, where he’s 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, Obi Toppin is still, unfortunately, struggling to come across meaningful minutes within New York’s rotation, seeing just 15.5 a night.

The presence of Julius Randle has and will only continue to hinder the 24-year-old’s potential of landing a prominent role within the Knicks’ rotation despite having proven that he’s capable of excelling when given increased opportunities (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).

It is because of this that the executive fears Toppin could end up requesting a trade out of New York before the conclusion of his rookie deal.