Knicks 106, Nuggets 103: Absolutely bananas
The Knicks went into Denver and pulled out their first victory in the Mile High City since 2006. It also may have very well been the most important victory in the Tom Thibodeau/Julius Randle era. Some readers may find that absolutely bananas. After all, the Knicks made the playoffs less than two years ago! Allow me to explain why this November victory could very well have altered the course of this franchise.
Julius Randle
When I write, I typically save the main course for the end. But as I rewatched this game and recapped it in my mind, I found it impossible to touch on other parts of the game without mentioning Randle. He simply had his hands on so many facets of the game. One of the big frustrations of mine about Randle discourse is that most of his defenders rely on simple box score statistics and refuse to delve into the context behind them. Even the great Clyde Frazier would bemuse how silly Randle critics are by citing the famous “20-10-5” statistic. (For those unaware, Randle averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists last season). So, forgive me, but my praise of Randle will have little to do with the 34 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals he put up last night.
With Randle it is rarely about what he does, as opposed to how he does it. This has been the standard set for him since early last season, when it became clear to most Knick fans that Randle living on Randle island was not the path forward for this franchise. The “we here” season was fun, but the team needed to evolve. And so did he. Randle needed to figure out a way to approach replicating his production in a way that not only helped the team but enabled teammates to do the same. Last night he passed that test with flying colors.
Randle came out of the gate firing. The only reason the Knicks starters approached breaking even was because he kept them in it, scoring 12 of the team’s first 14 points. But all 12 came within the flow of the offense. Each of his baskets was assisted (two by Jalen Brunson and two by RJ Barrett). In fact, throughout the entire game only two of his 11 field goals came in isolation.
Of course, there were bumps and bruises. Spoiler alert: when asking a player to overhaul the style in which he plays, there always will be. The third quarter saw Randle struggle to re-find his egalitarian footing. As his shots stopped falling he seemed more determined to get them to fall. It was a moment a hero in every good story requires, one where the encapsulated viewer wonders “Can he overcome this?”
That question was answered on the game’s defining play. Tied 103-103 with a little over a minute left in the game and Randle sitting on a game high 33 points, Tom Thibodeau drew up a play designed for Jalen Brunson. Brunson has been dynamic in these late game situations, bringing stability as the face of a franchise mired in end-game volatility. It would have been easy for Randle to fall into frustration – or worse, indifference. After all, he did his part. He led the charge back from ten points down in the fourth. Whatever happens would have been on them now. Except that’s not what happened. Brunson isolated and missed a 12-foot jumper short of the rim. Randle, refusing to be denied on this night, fought two Nuggets in the paint and drew a foul getting himself to the line with 50 seconds on the clock.
It feels very fitting that Randle attempted more shots in his worst quarter than his best. Because that’s just it: the Knicks don’t need 30 points from him every night. What they need is the guy diving on the floor for loose balls, battling for rebounds on both ends, looking to get his teammates involved. More than anything, that’s why this win mattered so much. It was the first time since the Knicks asked Randle to evolve from his All-NBA style that he received tangible proof that there are benefits to this sacrifice. As altruistic as we’d like to think we are, most people need incentive. And Randle found out last night that he can still be the hero in this story like he was in 2021. He just needs to be a different kind of hero.
Immanuel Quickley and Cam Reddish Redux
I wrote yesterday’s recap. And yes, I used this headline and featured these two players. I don’t care. What is happening between these two is special and needs to be highlighted.
Cam Reddish has cemented himself as a starter. What he is doing is defying even the most outlandish of expectations. Similar to Randle, it is not as much about the “what” as the “how.” Reddish has always had his fans, many as boisterous as they come, but I don’t think even those fans expected what has evolved in these first fifteen games.
Reddish is not Paul George 2.0. He is not dissecting defenses with smooth footwork shimmying his way to the basket, spinning past big men or hitting stepbacks over smaller wings. Reddish has not been the star some thought he could be. Better, he’s been a star in his role, the star Thibodeau has asked him to be.
Offensively, Reddish has essentially removed all shot attempts that aren’t at the rim or beyond the arc. A player who once attempted 26% of his shots between five feet and the 3-point line has seen that number almost cut in half to 14%. Unsurprisingly, his efficiency has increased, currently posting a career high 56.6% true shooting percentage (TS%).
Nevertheless, it is the other end of the court where Reddish has made the most noise. Reddish has locked in defensively. The Knicks have asked a lot of him on that end, which was to be expected given they were looking for solutions in a starting lineup that had been struggling epically to prevent the other team from putting the ball in the basket. Reddish has embraced the challenge, leveraging his length to disrupt passing lanes and protect the basket (last night he had two more steals and a block), two things that have to make his head coach happy. Watching Reddish evolve from “the star that was promised” into “elite role player” has been nothing short of spectacular.
As for Immanuel Quickley, this was just another addition to his ledger of impact excellence. They say all that is certain in life are death and taxes, but perhaps we should add one more certainty: teams with Immanuel Quickley on them will win the minutes he plays. After last night’s game, Quickley is once again lapping the field in that department. The team wins by the most points and allows the fewest points when Quickley plays, and it loses by the most points and allows the most points when he sits.
In today’s league, you either need to be a star or be able to provide value next to one. So while Quickley is very much not (yet) a star, his versatility allows him to thrive in almost any atmosphere. He is the ultimate basketball chameleon. He can play next to Jalen Brunson (lineups with the two of them are outscoring opponents by 21.4 points per 100 possessions) and serve as an off-ball guard. While his shooting is not where fans want it to be, he makes up for it with movement, screening, connectivity and pace. And when he is asked to run the offense he has become a very good organizer. Last night he had six assists to just one (head scratching) turnover.
Yet, like Reddish, it is the defensive end of the court where Quickley is shining the brightest. He has become a legitimate All-Defense level defender. Last night was just another example of how many different ways he can help your defense. He was everywhere. A man with his wingspan and energy level should not also have such sound footwork. The task of dribbling around him or setting a firm ball screen on him has become damn near impossible. Which is why as the precious last few seconds ticked away, with the Knicks clinging to a three point lead and Quickley on an island against talented scorer Jamal Murray, Knick fans sat with a nervous confidence that whatever shot was about to go up would not be a good one.
Reddish and Quickley, each only 23, have lit a spark under this team. Their simultaneous emergence has guaranteed that the Knicks will have at least one wing defender on the court at all times. But it was the minutes they played together that were the most essential. One of their biggest strengths is positional versatility, which runs counter to Thibodeau’s legendary rigidity. But, perhaps, these two gaining his trust will inspire him to lean into that versatility, as he did last night when closing the game with Reddish and Quickley joined by Randle, Brunson, and Obi Toppin. That’s why this win mattered so much; it was another small step towards the team’s most important young players entrenching themselves into meaningful rotation spots.
Jalen Brunson And Tom Thibodeau
When Brunson stepped on the court in the fourth, the Knicks trailed by nine. Brunson has brought many things to New York, but, more than anything, it should be noted his most valuable addition is being a really good basketball player. As I mentioned earlier, Brunson’s stability is everything to the Knicks. It is simply hard for a player who shoots the kinds of shots Brunson does to have extended slumps. This played itself out again last night as he scored eight huge fourth quarter points.
But it is the trust Thibodeau has in him that lies at the center of everything. It always had to be the first domino if this season was going to go right. Kemba Walker was obviously not the player Brunson is, but there was also an unwillingness from Thibodeau (and Randle) to cede control to him. For almost every virus that plagued the 2021-2022 Knicks, Brunson can provide an antidote. And with Thibodeau, always the hands-on type of coach, step one had to be handing him the keys. Last night was another sign that Brunson is in the driver’s seat. There have been nights when he appears unwilling to take it, perhaps wanting to fit in with his new team rather than take the new car and speed it off the lot. But this car belongs to Brunson.
As for Thibodeau, if the worst thing I can say about him is that he played a young guy too much, it was probably a good night for him. RJ Barrett (horrendous in every way) played 31 painstaking minutes. It was as if Thibodeau were trying to replicate Nuggets’ two-time MVP Nikola Jokic’s missed impact by providing a negative force just as strong. But when the chips were on the table, Thibodeau didn’t fall back on old reliable. He didn’t need his starting five, nor did he need a “true rim protector.” Thibodeau saw what was happening and adjusted course, correctly choosing his five best players from the game” Brunson, Quickley, Reddish, Toppin, and Randle closed. A 10-point deficit became a 3-point win.
Which is why this win was so important. This one felt different. It was a micro victory that didn’t ignore the macro. For the first time this season, it seems there may be a chance this franchise is headed in the right direction.
