New York Knicks: Is Kyle O’Quinn Turning The Corner?

Kyle O’Quinn was erratic during his first season with the New York Knicks, but is he finally turning the corner in 2016-17? It’s early, but the signs are promising.

New York Knicks fans were understandably excited when Phil Jackson inked Kyle O’Quinn to a four-year deal. It was an affordable contract for a quality player who has the potential to develop into a key rotational asset.

After what was a generally disappointing 2015-16 season, however, O’Quinn will need to work through 2016-17 with a sense of urgency.

O’Quinn, 26, was in danger of losing his place in the rotation early in the 2016 NBA preseason. Both Willy Hernangomez and Marshall Plumlee were thoroughly outplaying the veteran in the three-man race for the role of backup center.

O’Quinn closed the preseason out on a high note, however, and has already begun to make his mark in the regular season.

The Knicks need to see more than just a handful of preseason and regular season games before feeling confident in O’Quinn’s ability to be a consistent contributor. There have been flashes throughout his career, but he’s yet to become a reliable contributor.

Early as it may be in the 2016-17 season, there have been intriguing signs of his development—specifically in his facilitating touch.

O’Quinn opened the 2016-17 NBA regular season with a respectable performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He tallied two points, five rebounds, one offensive board, one assist, and two blocks in 15 minutes.

O’Quinn even responded well to criticism of his 3-point shooting (Note: NSFW language in original tweet).

If nothing else, one can’t help but love O’Quinn’s sense of humor.

In the second game of the season, O’Quinn was one of the unsung heroes for the Knicks. He finished with 11 points, six rebounds, two offensive boards, and two assists on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and a mark of 5-of-7 from the free throw line.

Though O’Quinn had a +/- of -1, it was he who stepped up to answer the Grizzlies’ run during the third quarter of New York’s 111-104 victory.

O’Quinn clearly has momentum on his side. He finished the preseason by recording 13 points and eight rebounds against the Boston Celtics, and tallied 13 points and seven rebounds against the Brooklyn Nets.

Rebounding has never been an issue, however, which is why so many are skeptical of the other areas of his game.

O’Quinn has the capacity for greatness on the defensive end of the floor. He’s a powerful 6’10” with a near 7’5″ wingspan and quality athleticism for a player of his size, strength, and stature.

His effort has improved and the results have proved it early in 2016-17.

Through two appearances, O’Quinn is facing 12.5 field goal attempts per game—second to Kristaps Porzingis amongst Knicks players. His assignments boast an average field goal percentage of 49.8 percent, but are shooting just 48.0 percent against him—a difference of 1.8 percent.

Unfortunately, the Knicks’ team defense has suffered when O’Quinn has been on the court.

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The individual defensive progress is encouraging, but players at O’Quinn’s position have a significant influence on the team’s overall performance.

The question is: can O’Quinn continue to improve and become a reliable and positively influential defensive player?