Knicks 104, Pistons 102: Jekyll and Hyde
The Knicks came out with a win vs. the Pistons on the road, but issues once again abounded in the second half when pace stagnated and the team struggled to close out against one of the worst teams in the NBA.
The Knicks beat the Pistons in a game that seemed like it was going to be much easier than it ended up being. Coming off two straight impressive victories against the Hornets and Heat — two playoff teams including, at the time, the No. 1 seed in the East — the Knicks entered yesterday’s game with momentum. Going along with that, they saw the return of their highest paid player, Julius Randle! Piece of cake, right? Wrong. After all, this is the Knicks we’re talking about here. What happened? Let’s dive in.
The first half: Jekyll
Picking up where they left off after the wonderful fourth quarter in Miami, the Knicks came out on fire. Their offense, despite the return of Randle, did not skip a beat. If you’re reading this and not a Knick fan, the usage of the word ‘despite’ might throw you off. How could the return of their best offensive player hurt the team offense? Because Randle has a tendency to hijack team offense. But we’ll get to him later. For now let’s just say, Randle, for the most part, made a concerted effort to play within the confines of the team structure, rather than force his way into the driver’s seat.
And the early results were good! When Jericho Sims and Immanuel Quickley hit the scorer’s table at the five-minute mark, the Knicks had a 3-point lead. Led by Quickley (who else?), the Knicks pushed their lead to 12 at the end of the quarter. Quickley was rambunctious in the first half, earning a season-high 15 minutes played off the bench throughout it. The good qualities he brings have become so consistent, I’m not sure you even had to watch the game to know what he did. He was energetic defensively, using his length to make ball handlers uncomfortable, and his speed and effort to negate screens meant to free them from his grasp. He was active on the defensive glass (six rebounds in the first half!) and used his rebound opportunities as a means to create early offense for his team. When he wasn’t pushing the pace, he was organizing the offense and picking apart the Pistons defense. The Knicks seemed to get a good look every time down the floor when he played, including 12 first half points and two assists, a number that very well could have been higher.
But Quickley didn’t do this alone. Far from it. Fellow sophomore and bench running mate Obi Toppin had eight points in nine minutes, including a highlight reel slam that got a reaction from the Detroit crowd. Alec Burks had nine efficient points (he ended the game with 18 on six shot attempts) in a half that would foreshadow how important he would be down the stretch. And Jericho Sims continued to throw a wrench into the Knicks’ offseason plans.
One of the team’s biggest question marks is what they are going to do with Mitchell Robinson. Will they extend him and make him one of the roughly 10 highest paid centers in the league? Sims, on a team-friendly deal after being selected 58th overall, is making Robinson look awfully replaceable. Sims can do just about everything Robinson can – he protects the rim, he attacks both glasses, he has otherworldly athleticism that allows him to jump out of the gym – without the scissor hands Robinson possesses. Is Sims as good or polished as Robinson is? Absolutely not. And it’s important to remember that Sims is an older rookie (he’s actually only six months younger than Robinson). But at a fraction of the price, he’s going to at least make the Knicks think.
Lastly, RJ Barrett just cruised right along with a quiet 14 points for himself. Barrett is amazing. He’s not a superstar, yet, but he has looked so comfortable taking the reins as the team's No. 1 option it’s jarring. Rarely does a situation, be it a game situation or a defense thrown his way, appear to overwhelm him. The situation he operates in is far from optimal, and I’m sure he knows it. It would be easy for him to begrudge the multiple defenders negating his path to the basket each time he has the ball, and use them as an excuse. But Barrett doesn’t quiver or express frustration, he stands up to the challenge and faces it head-on. Which is why each time I watch him I become more and more thankful he’s our guy.
The Knicks, on the backs of these young players, headed into halftime with a 59-47 advantage. While double-digit leads are always good, it felt like the lead should have been bigger. The Knicks dominated from wire to wire in the half, at one point leading by 21 points. Despite that, there was a unique air of confidence amongst the Knicks faithful at the half, that should have been a sign of what was to come.
The second half: Hyde
Which brings us to the second half. The Knicks came out with all the energy of a koala bear to start the half, and the Pistons capitalized. The Knicks should have known that any lapses would be exploited. The Pistons, led by rookie Cade Cunningham, have played quite well since the All-Star break. And they definitely should have expected a lazy, bland offense to be eaten alive, because if there’s one thing Pistons head coach Dwane Casey does well, it is coach defense.
And that’s exactly what happened. In spite of thriving in the first half off of pace and consistent movement, the Knicks were determined to grind their offense to a halt. Gone was the energetic variety that had the Pistons on their heels, replaced by the same uninspiring sets we have been seeing in these situations for 74 games. By the end of the third quarter, the Pistons had cut the deficit down to just a single point.
The fourth quarter was not much better. Typically this is when the bench unit would enter and give the Knicks some sort of cushion. But guess what? When you play a unit of all kids under the age of 23, sometimes they’re not going to have it for a stretch. And that’s OK! But this is why variety and staggering has merit. As fun as an all-kids lineup can be, every lineup needs an Alec Burks to calm things down when they appear to be getting out of control.
Quickley was less effective than he has been in quite some time. Toppin made some of those defensive errors Thibodeau discussed in his last press conference, although I am unsure it was nine mistakes to one good play, but I digress. Barrett, perhaps out of rhythm due to just one touch the entire third quarter, had trouble getting to the basket as the Pistons’ defenders hounded him. But the kids kept fighting. After a horrendous turnover that led to Thibodeau chewing him out as the game was in play, Quickley responded with an ice-cold three to break a tie, followed by a no-look alley-oop to Toppin. You have to love that no moment seems too big for these guys.
Burks and Randle re-entered the game halfway through the quarter and made some of the biggest plays of the game. Randle, finally refusing to settle and choosing to attack the basket, made a layup to give the Knicks a lead followed by a step-back 3-pointer to extend said lead to five points. Burks had two crunch time steals off of Cade Cunningham — who is 10 years younger than him — and a corner three with under a minute left to push the Knicks’ lead to four. Burks’ last steal sealed the game with under five seconds left, allowing the Knicks to sneak out of Detroit with a 104-102 victory.
Alec Burks and Julius Randle
It is quite sad where we’re at with these two players. Burks should be beloved by the Knicks’ fanbase, and last night’s game showcased why. When he is in his wheelhouse — focusing on scoring on offense and manning opposing wings on defense — Burks is an extremely solid two-way player with the demeanor of a man unfazed by the circus of New York. But because of how Thibodeau has deployed him this season, many Knick fans are wary of his presence, because of what he represents. Every extra minute Burks plays, amidst this lost season, is a minute not given to Quickley, Deuce McBride, or Quentin Grimes (who, to be fair, was injured yesterday). If there were a guarantee Burks would be used optimally, every Knick fan would be thrilled to see him back donning Knicks’ blue next season. Unfortunately, the jury is still out on that one.
And then there’s Julius Randle. Randle, despite hitting two of the biggest shots of the game, was bad yesterday. Marvin Bagley looked at Randle and saw food (he finished with a game-high 27 points on 11-14 shooting). Offensively, Randle was his typically inefficient self, with 20 points on 18 shots. It’s become tough to watch a guy who clearly doesn’t have the confidence he exuded last season.
But, unfortunately, it’s more than that. It’s too much to blame the entirety of what we see on any one man. As the great Jeremy Cohen said yesterday, when we live this team day-to-day it’s easy to exaggerate. But Randle bears a majority of the blame. The differences in how the team operates when he is on and off the floor are so much wider than any other player. Think back to that rambunctious young unit that started the second quarter and imagine filling in any other starter with them. Barrett, Burks, Robinson, Evan Fournier, how do they fit? Now imagine Randle. When Randle plays, he, for better or for worse, becomes the eye of the storm.
This is the ultimate conundrum with a player like Randle. At least this version of him. What he represents is an untenable purgatory. Randle is at his very best when it is his team. He locks in on defense more (it’s easy to forget how good he was on that side of the ball last season, but he was very good), and all of the wonderful qualities he possesses are heightened. His passing is crisper, his jump shot smoother, and he attacks the basket with more fervor. But this player, even at his best, is not good enough to be the best player on a team that wins anything meaningful. So, what is Option B? That would be to move Randle into more of a sidekick role. But the truth of the matter is that Randle doesn’t want that. When he’s not the center of attention, his focus falls by the wayside, and so do all of those positive qualities I mentioned above. We now have two seasons of evidence (2019-2020 and this one) to show us that Randle, at least on the Knicks, does not see himself as a supporting character.
This brings me to only one conclusion; the team has to move on from Randle. This offseason will be a very telling one for this franchise. They simply have to pick a lane, and what they do with Randle will be a big part of that. But next season has to be unequivocally Barrett’s. There can’t be any mistaking who is Batman on the 2022-2023 Knicks. And there is nothing to suggest that Randle is willing to be the Knicks’ Robin. Maybe I’m wrong, Maybe, after an offseason of hard work and a much-needed look in the mirror, Randle will come back with a newfound attitude and perseverance. Maybe he’ll realize that he profiles as the perfect role player! He has a rare combination of size, passing, and brute strength that make him an ideal pick-and-roll big man. Maybe the Knicks will come out next season spamming Barrett and Randle two-man action surrounded by shooting, and I’ll be forced to eat my words. It could happen. And I would love to be proven wrong.
I just don’t see it happening.
