New York Knicks: Robin Lopez Is Thriving With Kurt Rambis
New York Knicks big man Robin Lopez is quietly thriving. The Knicks’ coaching change has played an instrumental role in his development.
One of the biggest knocks on Phil Jackson is that he failed to land one of the premier free agents in 2016. The New York Knicks were tied to the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan, and Greg Monroe, but failed to land any of the three most coveted big men on the open market.
You may not be hearing much about it, but Robin Lopez has been quite the consolation prize.
A shining example of Lopez’s impact on the team is New York ranking No. 1 in the NBA in defensive field goal percentage at the rim—an area in which the team was No. XX in 2014-15. Despite his solidifying the defensive interior—you know, what Jordan would’ve done for a significantly higher price—Lopez has been greatly under-appreciated.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, interim head coach Kurt Rambis believes that Lopez is showing how valuable of a player he can be on offense, as well.
"“He’s grown as a ballplayer, gaining confidence in his offensive game,’’ Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis said. “We’re encouraging him to explore those avenues so he can be a real value to us — someone we can throw the ball into.”“To see him blossom, to see what he’s done, he’s a smart basketball player, high basketball IQ,’’ Rambis said. “We’re encouraging him to do a lot offensively. In the past he wasn’t asked to do those things. He just had to gain confidence and his teammates had to gain confidence in him.’’"
That’s a major step in the right direction after Lopez was nothing more than a complementary offensive player for most of 2015-16.
In 54 games under Derek Fisher, Lopez averaged 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 offensive boards, and 1.4 blocks on a slash line of .527/.000/.798. He did so in an average of 25.5 minutes of action per game, and attempted 7.4 field goals per contest.
Since New York transitioned from Fisher to Rambis, Lopez has been an entirely different player.
In 26 games under Rambis, Lopez is averaging 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.2 offensive boards, and 2.0 blocks in 30.5 minutes of action. He’s actually improved his efficiency, posting a slash line of .566/.000/.785 on an average of 9.3 field goal attempts.
Furthermore, Lopez has nine double-doubles in 26 games under Rambis after recording six in 54 outing with Fisher.
Lopez is also limiting opponents to 45.6 percent shooting at the rim, per NBA.com. That ranks No. 6 in the Association, and No. 4 amongst players who have been active for at least 60 games.
Lopez acknowledged the tremendous changes between the first half of the season and his current stretch.
"“I’m in a different role — I’m doing well in a different role,’’ Lopez said.“It was getting comfortable with my teammates — they have so much confidence in me,’’ Lopez said. “Even if my first half didn’t go so well, they’re telling me to keep being aggressive.’’"
With an increased role, Lopez’s quality of play has improved accordingly.
Lopez has long been one of the better centers in the NBA, albeit without the flash, flare, or production of the stars who rank above him. The little things he does can help elevate the quality of a good team, however, as he boxes out to create rebounding opportunities for his teammates, protects the rim, and plays selflessly on offense.
If you need further statistical evidence of his value, try the fact that Lopez is tied for No. 6 in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game.
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It may not be the most heavily publicized development, but Lopez has the look of a valuable building block for the Knicks.