Magic 98, Knicks 94: The gang who couldn’t shoot straight
The Knicks, again without Jalen Brunson, were again left without a win, this time against new rival Orlando
The Knicks fell short to the Orlando Magic in a grind of a game. It’s not often you see both teams fail to crack 100 points in an NBA basketball game in 2024. Was this two defensive stalwarts showcasing their prowess? Or unrivaled offensive ineptitude? Let’s dive in.
A Throwback Affair
If you’re a fan of the Orlando Magic reading this (you probably aren’t), you may be offended by what I’m about to write. Please understand I have the utmost respect not only for what the Magic are building down in Florida, but more specifically for Franz Wagner, who was in street clothes yesterday afternoon. And yet: the Knicks had no business losing this game.
While the Magic did arrive at Madison Square Garden with a sound defensive gameplan, they struggled to put the ball in the basket. Excluding an outburst from Chuma Okeke (a career 32%-shooter from deep) and Jalen Suggs, who was ice-cold, their defense-first starting lineup did not have a credible 3-point threat. This made it very difficult for Paolo Banchero to get two feet into the paint. The Magic’s bench did most of the leg work. Almost as if they were slow-playing the Knicks, like an anglerfish luring its prey before the kill. In both the first and third quarters, the Knicks built leads that felt like they should have been bigger, only for Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, Joe Ingles, Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr. to enter the game and pounce.
The Knicks got nice efforts from Deuce McBride and Donte DiVincenzo in the backcourt. While not a natural point guard, McBride is proving himself to be a consistently reliable NBA player, a force at the point-of-attack defensively, swiftly navigating screens with the guile of a fox. And while the 3-point shooting (46.6% on the season) will likely come back down to earth, he is clearly gaining confidence as a scorer.
DiVincenzo didn’t have the 3-point shot working yesterday, but in a weird way it’s almost encouraging to see him have a high impact game in spite of that. You never want a player on your team to be overly reliant on one source of output, especially one as volatile as perimeter shooting. DiVincenzo continued to bring the energy on both ends. It’s apparent how beneficial the acquisition of OG Anunoby will be to DiVincenzo’s defensive impact: rather than guarding the opposing team’s best player, he now roams off the ball into passing lanes, where he’s at his best.
Speaking of Anunoby, the Knicks got another solid effort from him. He’s really stepped in and immediately showcased his strengths and weaknesses: an excellent defender and, somehow, an even better shooter from the corners. But when the Knicks’ offense is lethargic, he is not someone you want to count on to create a good look out of thin air; he is purely additive. Similar to Isaiah Hartenstein, who despite getting into foul trouble had another superb effort. He continues to lap the field in defensive EPM, an astonishing feat for what was supposed to be an offense-first backup center.
On the other side of the coin, Julius Randle laid an egg after turning his ankle early in the game. Obviously we’ll never know how much that affected him throughout the afternoon, but he was mostly painful on both ends. He did a nice job creating looks for others when he penetrated into the teeth of Orlando’s defense, but those possessions were too few and far between. In the end, the Knicks walked off the court losers in a game that was theirs for the taking.
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
We’ve all heard the stories before. A woman teases her husband about his snoring. Then the husband goes on a week-long vacation and the wife can’t sleep, so accustomed is she to his undiagnosed sleep apnea. It’s quite sad how often we need to lose things before appreciating them.
In the Knicks’ case, that allegory relates to two players, one current Knick and one former. On the season, the Knicks are over 10 points per 100 possessions worse offensively without Brunson on the court. It is apparent that on this iteration of the team, Brunson is the engine driving it. Just as Anunoby puts other pieces into the right place, Brunson’s mere presence allows other Knicks to be the best versions of themselves.
It wasn’t always this way. The Knicks’ once had a player who led their team in net rating differential. Just as he did in 2021-22. And then again in 2022-23. Immanuel Quickley’s value to this team was apparent to anyone paying attention. In the face of sporadic minutes and ever-changing roles, Quickley gave the Knicks something to consistently rely upon. When he was on the court, good things often followed.
But now, it’s not so much Quickley that they’re missing as the archetype of what they wanted him to be. The Knicks don’t need Quickley to be successful; they have plenty of talent on the team. But what they do need is someone to steer the ship when Brunson isn’t in the game. Despite his strides, it doesn’t appear that McBride has earned Tom Thibodeau’s full trust yet. Which means that answer will likely come from the outside.
Alec Burks 2.0?
You know me. I always have to save the best for last.
In 2021-2022, the Knicks had a season from hell. That year had so many different catastrophes that what you remember that season for is probably influenced by your personality. Kemba Walker’s knees? Evan Fournier’s shoddy defense? The weird Randle 180?
Or, if you’re like me, you remember Thibodeau banging his hammer into the Alec Burks nail over and over again. Burks was a good player, but he was a 30-year-old bench reserve Thibodeau treated like prime Derrick Rose. The Knicks could have seen the writing on the wall and pivoted towards development, but as the season sunk further into the abyss, Burks’ role only grew. I bring this up because I believe Josh Hart is rapidly entering Burks territory.
Please allow me to remind any Knicks fan who has made it this far that Hart is a good basketball player. He has warts, but he helps your team win when he’s on the court. Like Anunoby, he is an additive piece. You don’t want him dictating where you go; you only want him to help aid the process. Hart isn’t hurting you playing 22 minutes a night as your backup small forward. It’s the expansion of his role that is hurting the Knicks.
Yesterday, without Brunson, Quentin Grimes played just 14 minutes. Divincenzo played 24. That leaves 10 minutes at shooting guard for Hart, shooting just 32.4% from deep on fewer than three 3-pointers a game. Hart has no business playing shooting guard for any team. It’s 2024: your shooting guard has to be able to shoot.
This also begs the question: why are we continuing to frame these discussions around Thibodeau’s biases? First Quickley couldn’t play with Brunson, and now Grimes can’t play with DiVincenzo, both because of size issues. Why is the same emphasis not placed on the spacing issues created by playing Hart out of position?
The Knicks are past a tipping point. They’re not building around players. They’re building around the whims of Thibodeau. Quickley and RJ Barrett are gone; if today’s rumors are any sign, Grimes will be following them shortly. The Knicks aren’t all in . . . yet. They still have their war chest of picks. But when they trade Grimes to solve their creation issue, they will be all-in, symbolically. They have been for quite some time.
More than anything, that is the point. If you’re going to trade your three most important young players because, for different reasons, they don’t fit your head coach’s vision, then patience goes out the window. This is what you wanted. The Knicks host Houston Wednesday. Hopefully Brunson will be back and the team can get back to winning. The time for consolation prizes is over. The age of silver linings is at an end. It’s time for results.
