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New York Knicks: Who stepped up against New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 30?

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 30: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks goes to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 30, 2017 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 30: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks goes to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 30, 2017 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 30: Michael Beasley #8 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 30, 2017 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 30: Michael Beasley #8 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 30, 2017 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Michael Beasley

Without Michael Beasley, the New York Knicks would’ve lost this game. When Kristaps Porzingis came off the court and the Knicks were in need of offense, Beasley stepped up by routinely scoring in isolation—no matter who was defending him.

The plus-minus may imply that Beasley was a negative contributor, but he saved the Knicks on multiple occasions against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Beasley scored 15 points in just 20 minutes, thus putting the finishing touches on what’s been an outstanding month of play. He added five rebounds, one assist, a steal, and a block in what was a far better performance than his plus-minus of minus-2 implies.

When Porzingis went to the bench for rest or foul trouble, it was Beasley who stepped up to lead the offense with yet another strong scoring performance.

Beasley was New York’s second-leading scorer, which isn’t terribly surprising. He averaged 15.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game during the month of December, and he did so on an efficient slash line of .519/.471/.738.

It’s unclear what Beasley’s role will be once Tim Hardaway Jr. returns to the rotation, but he’s been invaluable to the Knicks’ pursuit of victory in the 25-year-old’s absence.

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