Getty Josh Hart of the New York Knicks is congratulated by teammate Immanuel Quickley.
The New York Knicks have been a delightful surprise through 62 games played and, in turn, have proven themselves to be many things throughout the campaign: tough, flexible, successful, etc.
However, the folks at Bleacher Report believe there’s only one specific way to properly categorize the current sixth seed in the Eastern Conference standings.
In a February 23 piece penned by writer Dan Favale, all 30 NBA teams were labeled with a one-word descriptor and, when it came to the Knicks, they were justly tabbed as being “deep.”
“They’re deep—genuinely, sustainably, perhaps even peerlessly deep. New York stretches two have-to-find-them-minutes players at every rotation spot. In some instances, that number balloons to three at full strength (point guard and center, mainly). And this rise predates the arrival of Josh Hart. No bench has a better point differential per 100 possessions since Jan. 1. Adding Hart merely inflates the standing of an already burgeoning group of reserves. In the 58 minutes he’s logged beside Isaiah Hartenstein and Immanuel Quickley, the Knicks have an offensive rating of 143.2(!)—and a net rating of 32.4. The lineup optionality head coach Tom Thibodeau now has when mixing and matching his starters and styles is off the charts,” Favale wrote.
Since going to a 9-man rotation on 12/4, the Knicks have done the following:
• 25-14 Record (5th in NBA)
• 2nd best net rating in NNA
• 2nd lowest TOVs per game
The team’s depth has been a well-known aspect–and, at some points, a quagmire–of this 2022-23 iteration of the Knicks all season long and certainly proved to come in handy during Mitchell Robinson’s extended absence from the lineup due to a right thumb fracture.
However, though this kind of rotational attribute may be beneficial in the now, Favale pointed out later on in his piece that at some point down the road, this type of depth could cause “awkward questions” to arise, with specific subjects including the positions of “Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett.”
In the meantime, however, the piece would describe their depth as being “a gruh-eat problem to have.”
Knicks Wing Opens Up on Declining Role
As Favale pointed out in his piece, the depth of this Knicks team managed to reach new levels with their mid-season acquisition of Josh Hart, and, since his arrival, the club has gone undefeated during this stretch with a record of 5-0.
However, though the veteran’s presence has led to several big-time victories for the team as a whole, his addition has not had a unanimously positive impact on all members of the organization, as sophomore wing Quentin Grimes has subsequently found his role within the rotation lessen with the wing now in tow.
Prior to the transaction with the Blazers, Grimes found himself logging 34.2 minutes per game and was producing to the tune of 11.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 45.4% shooting from the floor. Since Hart first suited up for the Knicks, however, his playing time has reduced to just 22.3 minutes, and is now posting averages of just 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.
Despite these regressions, in a February 15 tweet, Zach Braziller of the New York Post shared the 22-year-old’s comments regarding the situation and he exuded a tone that makes it seem that he’s rather accepting of his recent minute’s demotion.
“Quentin Grimes on diminished role of late since Josh Hart’s arrival: “It’s not about minutes. It’s trying to win games. He helps us win games, that’s the main thing,”” Braziller tweeted.
Quentin Grimes on diminished role of late since Josh Hart’s arrival: “It’s not about minutes. It’s trying to win games. He helps us win games, that’s the main thing.” #knikcs
Braziller would further share in the thread that Grimes also stated that he believes he “can’t think about it” when it comes to giving up minutes to Hart and that all he can do is “play how I’ve been playing all year, and not worry about that.”
Knicks Guard Not Thinking of Buyout
The Suns are targeting Derrick Rose on the buyout market, per @ChrisBHaynes
Though Chris Hayes of Bleacher Report recently shared that the Phoenix Suns have an interest in pursuing veteran guard Derrick Rose should he be bought out by the Knicks this season, Peter Botte of the New York Post highlighted the former All-Star’s recent comments on his situation in New York, as he set the record straight about his future with the franchise.
“No, I haven’t talked to anybody about that. I haven’t talked to anyone,” Rose said regarding buyout rumors. “I haven’t even thought about it. I’m locked in to my thing right now. It’s kind of hard to think about something that I’ve never pursued and never talked about with them.”
Through the Knicks’ 62 games played to this point in the season, Rose has seen action on just 27 occasions and is averaging career lows of 5.6 points, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game.
Despite his reported lack of interest in parting ways with the organization at any point in the near future, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports that sources close to the situation between him and the Knicks “wouldn’t totally dismiss a buyout.”