The Knicks believe yesterday’s trade makes them better. Geoff Rasmussen on what resolutions they must keep to make 2024, a leap year, the year they take the leap

Happy New Year’s, Knicks fans! As we enter 2024, the Knicks sit at 17-15, eighth in the East with a net rating of +1.8, tied for 12th in the NBA. They are, definitively, a good team. But before 2023 reached its end, the Knicks decided it was time for a change. With a logjam at guard and the need for size on the wing, the Knicks traded RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.

Enough words have been written about this trade, and the truth is the verdict won’t truly be out for a long time. What do Barrett and Quickley become in a different context? Will the Knicks regret not providing that context for them? How about Anunoby in New York? Do the Knicks have a follow-up move in store? All of these questions and more will help determine if Leon Rose and company made the right decision.

What we know at this time is that the rotation is likely set. Though Flynn could be a candidate for backup point-guard minutes, the Knicks’ decision to extend Deuce McBride signals he will likely get the first crack at the job. Joining McBride off the bench will be Quentin Grimes, Josh Hart and Achiuwa. The starting lineup will remain the same outside of Anunoby replacing Barrett.

For now, these nine Knicks will determine the success of the 2023-2024 season. So without further ado, allow me to share with you one New Year’s resolution for each player!

Jalen Brunson: Find that next passing level

Both Jalen Brunson’s assist rate and assists per 36 minutes have remained relatively stagnant throughout his career. This is fine. He’s an elite scorer, so good that, despite it encapsulating most of his offensive impact, he’s16th in the entire NBA in offensive estimated plus/minus. That’s very good.

But the addition of Anunoby alters the equation. Say what you want about Barrett, but his ability to get two feet into the paint and collapse defenses is something Anunoby simply doesn’t have. Replacing Barrett drives with Anunoby 3-pointers is a good thing in theory . . . but somebody has to create those threes.

Brunson’s usage is going to go up. But that can’t just mean shooting more. If it does, I fear the conversations we’ll have in hindsight about this trade. Anunoby is an elite 3-point shooter (especially from the corners) who probably has more to give attacking close-outs than he’s shown. It’s up to Brunson to provide those opportunities for him.

Julius Randle: Shoot more 3-pointers

This is a tempered resolution. Julius Randle is a remarkable unicorn. Take a quick glance at his 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2023-24 numbers and the “what” of it all (the total impact) looks fairly similar. It’s only when you zoom in and look at the “how” that you realize he’s changed from year-to-year. In 2020-21, Randle ran hot from 15 feet and beyond. In 2022-23, Randle became the king of the shot chart, mitigating muted efficiency with shot location splits that would make Daryl Morey squirm with glee in his chair.

This season has been something else entirely, though. Randle has embraced his brute-like nature and turned into a human bulldozer. His 3-pointers per 36 is down to 5.1 from 8.4 last season. That’s fine. Randle, shooting just 28%, is clearly going through something beyond the arc. But as long as the Knicks deploy a paint-bound center at all times, Randle’s 3-point shot will need to be a part of the equation. My hope for Randle in 2024 is that he maintains his inside-out style while rediscovering his confidence from deep.

OG Anunoby: Embrace your role

If one thing defined Barrett’s struggles in New York, it was the clash between his vision for himself versus Tom Thibodeau’s. Agree or disagree, Barrett fancied himself a classic star. He wanted the ball in his hands and his best moments came when he was consistently getting the touches he wanted.

His shakier moments came when the touches were more inconsistent. Like I mentioned with Brunson, Barrett created a paradigm where a large percentage of his impact was tied up in what he did with the ball in his hands. For Brunson, an elite offensive engine who’s the team’s number-one option, that is tenable. For a number-three option? Not so much. Show me a team whose third option provides little as a floor spacer or defender and I’ll show you a team whose whole is less than the sum of its parts.

This brings us to Anunoby, who profiles as the exact prototype of what Thibodeau wanted from Barrett. Anunoby will take pressure off of Donte DiVincenzo by taking the opponent’s primary offensive option. He also will require fewer touches, as his best offensive skill is shooting off the catch. There were murmurs out of Toronto that part of Anunoby’s discontent was his role. Some people thought Anunoby, like Barrett, saw more meat on the bone as a creator of offense. The Knicks don’t need that, and frankly don’t have time this season to find out. Embrace your role, young fella. You will be rewarded.

Donte DiVincenzo: Be a cat-like thief

If I shared what the defensive rating of the Knicks’ most recent iteration of their starting lineup was, most Knicks fans would likely vomit.

With Barrett’s defense falling off a cliff, Brunson plus Randle being their consistently inconsistent selves on that end of the court and Hartenstein doing his best Mitchell Robinson impression around the rim, all of the pressure fell on DiVincenzo on the perimeter. He fought admirably, but there is only so much one guard can do . . . unless his name is Immanuel Quickley.

(I had to get one in.)

With DiVincenzo focused on guarding the opposing team’s best players, his greatest defensive skill was muted. The Ragu Mamba is an absolute hawk in passing lanes; his ability to create live-ball turnovers is an element the Knicks’ defense has been missing lately. With the addition of Anunoby, I expect DiVincenzo to return to being an off-ball terror, gambling aggressively within the scheme.

Isaiah Hartenstein: Spread your offensive wings

Not all of Barrett’s lost usage will go to Brunson and Randle. While Hartenstein has been a revelation defensively (Ed. note: after three steals and three blocks against Minnesota, Hartenstein leads the NBA in defensive estimated plus/minus), his offense hasn’t been much to write home about. A lot of that is due to the nature of the offense. With three high-usage guys, there’s not much for the other two players to do. They have to contribute in other ways.

For Hartenstein, that was on the offensive glass, where he hoists a preposterous 15.6% offensive rebound percentage, in the league’s 98th percentile. But with Barrett gone, there will be more room for Hartenstein to impact the offense. He’s a great passer, something you wouldn’t really know if you’ve only watched Knicks games. Reggie Miller referring to him as “Jokić of the East” may have been a stretch, but Hartenstein has an opportunity here to elevate his teammates when Brunson and Randle aren’t in control of the wheel. Let’s see what he’s got.

Josh Hart: Sixth Man of the Year

Is Josh Hart winning Sixth Man of the Year really a stretch? With these voters . . . probably. Hart’s points per game likely won’t meet the threshold of acceptability. Also he’s already started a game, which as Knicks fans know excludes you from consideration. But as we look back on the 2022-23, almost everyone with a clue about impact in the NBA saw that Quickley was the true 6MOY, the best player to came off the bench more than he started. Frankly, it wasn’t close.

Hart has an opportunity to become that this season. A jack-of-all-trades whose impact is not defined by one or even two areas, he’s essential to this Knicks team. It’s unlikely we ever see a shooting stretch like the one he had to end the 2022-23 season, but Hart’s ability to defend, rebound and push the pace will remain paramount to the team’s success. More importantly, Hart’s role is now defined. He knows firmly what will be expected of him.

If Hart can make a consistent impact off the bench for the rest of the season that helps bolster the Knicks’ success, we could very well be talking about him as the most valuable bench player in the NBA.

Precious Achiuwa: Find what makes you unique

Dear Precious,

The Knicks are going to try to mold you into Mitchell Robinson-lite. This isn’t a bad thing. You’re already an elite offensive rebounder. When engaged, you hustle your ass off to the point that opposing fan bases grow frustrated watching you. Knicks fans will embrace rooting for you as one of those “hate him on the other team, love him on yours” guys.

But you have shown flashes of doing more, of being a different type of player. You can turn dribble hand-offs into lob opportunities. Switch on the perimeter and defend wings in isolation. You’ve even shown a propensity to shoot the 3-pointer every once in a while. Don’t be afraid of being a different type of player. It could be exactly what this Knicks team needs.

Deuce McBride and Quentin Grimes: Take this opportunity

It feels fitting to pair these two players together. Both were drafted in the 2021 draft. Both are at a fork in the road of their respective careers.

Quentin Grimes has to be feeling a bit uneasy about his situation. After almost a year of starting every game, Grimes was unceremoniously demoted to the bench. His game has become defined by hesitancy. Some would blame the starting lineup’s high-usage stars for Grimes’ lack of touches (there’s probably a small amount of merit to that), but for whatever reason when other guards like DiVincenzo or Quickley join those lineups, they never seem to disappear the way Grimes does.

With IQ and RJ gone, Grimes and McBride have a real opportunity to cement and advance their positions on this franchise. Touches will be readily available off the bench. They just need to capitalize on them. McBride will get the first crack at the backup point-guard minutes. We’ve seen what he can do in G-League with the ball in his hands. How much of that, if any, can carry over into a consistent NBA role?

I’ll be frank: I expect these bench lineups to blitz opponents defensively. There shouldn’t be too many better defensive trios than McBride, Grimes and Hart. This is the moment for the 2021 draft class to show the rest of the world what they’re capable of.

Tom Thibodeau: Find the ceiling of your creation

The Knicks are still one move away from being all-in, but as far as Thibodeau is concerned, his watch begins today.

We could devote an entire article to the good things Thibodeau has done for the Knicks franchise. They certainly wouldn’t be where they are today with him or Leon Rose. But amidst those good things has been a rampant stubbornness. And like it or not, this version of the Knicks’ roster is what it is because of Thibodeau’s biases and beliefs on what works best on a basketball court.

The Immanuel Quickley era will be remembered for what the Knicks didn’t do more than what they did. What would Quickley have looked like as the Knicks’ starting PG before Brunson? Or starting next to Brunson? We don’t have the answers because Thibodeau refused to ask the question. In his mind, he already had the answers.

Maybe he’ll end up being right. Only time will tell. But Thibodeau has the roster he wants. Brunson is his prototypical point guard. He clearly loves Randle as a 1B/second option. Hartenstein is doing his best Mitch impression on both ends. DiVincenzo, Hart, Grimes, and McBride are all capable defenders and willing shooters off the ball. And now he has his final piece: a giant wing stopper.

The excuse train should have left the station a long time ago, but it’s gone for good now. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect this team to contend for a championship. Boston and Milwaukee are too good. But that doesn’t mean expectations shouldn’t exist. This team is a good one. We know they’ll compete night in and night out. If Thibodeau has proven one thing, it’s that he will have his guys prepared. 

But baseline competency and effort can’t be the bar anymore. It’s year four and the team has been molded to Thibodeau’s preferences. It’s time to aim for the ceiling instead of settling for the highest floor. The Knicks traded away a guy every impact metric believes has been most conducive to the Knicks’ success for almost two years, all because he didn’t physically profile to Thibodeau’s liking. A former top-3 pick was viewed, essentially, as a throw-in. To justify that decision, on-court results NEED to follow. I believe they will.