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Knicks are playing as fast as David Fizdale wanted, but will it stick?

By Rob Wolkenbrod

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 16: Emmanuel Mudiay #1 of the New York Knicks drives against Frank Jackson #15 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on November 16, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 16: Emmanuel Mudiay #1 of the New York Knicks drives against Frank Jackson #15 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on November 16, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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For all the talk of pace, the New York Knicks looked faster against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Before the season started, the New York Knicks were in for head coach David Fizdale’s fast-paced offense. They were expected to push the ball down the floor and be in shape to handle its speed, unlike Jeff Hornacek‘s more methodical gameplan.

“He wants us to get out and run and that plays to a lot of the guys’ strengths, a lot of the personnel that we’ve got,” said Trey Burke, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post in training camp.

Seven weeks after those comments, and the perception of a fast system, the Knicks sit 17th in pace at 101.5. Previously, they were in the bottom 10 of the NBA.

Why the slow-moving offense? For nine games, Fizdale played a lineup of Frank Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr., Damyean Dotson, Noah Vonleh and Mitchell Robinson that led the way for a team-combined 99.10 pace factor.

Against of the rest of the league, it placed them 23rd.

Recently, the Knicks added two players in the top 100 in pace: Emmanuel Mudiay and Kevin Knox. They replaced Dotson and Ntilikina in the aforementioned group.

The result was 106.75 pace across two games — good for second in the NBA. What helped this number, by moving Knox to power forward abd sending Vonleh to the bench, they had a 110.50 pace in Friday’s loss to the Pelicans.

Along with this, Mudiay has a team-leading 116.42 pace and 105.14 for the season. It’s a small sample size, but Ntilikina, who he essentially replaced, has a 102.56 pace for the season.

So, was this an anomaly or something more?

Judging by New York’s game-by-game pace, part of it goes towards playing to a team’s tempo, rather than their own. That includes two games well above their pace against the Hawks, who lead the NBA in this category:

  1. Oct. 17 win vs. Hawks: 112.5 (1st, 107.0 average pace)
  2. Nov. 16 loss vs. Pelicans: 110.5 (4th, 105.47)
  3. Nov. 7 win vs. Hawks: 104.5
  4. Nov. 11 loss vs. Magic: 104.0 (21st, 100.23)
  5. Nov. 14 loss vs. Thunder: 103.0 (10th, 102.54)
  6. Oct. 22 loss vs. Bucks: 102.5 (5th, 104.34)
  7. Oct. 20 loss vs. Celtics: 102.5 (20th, 100.31)
  8. Nov. 10 loss vs. Raptors: 101.5 (12th, 102.09)
  9. Oct. 26 loss vs. Warriors: 101.0 (15th, 101.28)
  10. Oct. 24 loss vs. Heat: 100.5 (11th, 102.49)
  11. Nov. 4 loss vs. Wizards: 100.0 (6th, 103.45)
  12. Oct. 31 loss vs. Pacers: 97.0 (28th, 97.60)
  13. Nov. 5 loss vs. Bulls: 96.0 (22nd, 100.14)
  14. Nov. 2 win vs. Mavericks: 95.5 (14th, 101.64)
  15. Oct. 19 loss vs. Nets: 95.5 (24th, 99.79)
  16. Oct. 29 win vs. Nets: 93.0

The Knicks increased their pace over the past three games, but to play against teams that move faster, including the soaring number in New Orleans.

It’s also difficult to decipher if playing faster means better results for the Knicks. The Hawks and Pelicans games were all competitive, but the Magic and Thunder obliterated them, rounding out the top five. The other two wins were at their slowest pace, too.

At the same time, in the top seven, the Knicks had a combined margin of loss of just 13 points against the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. They were also competitive against the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, before both teams went on fourth-quarter runs.

What does this mean? It’s too early to see if it’s just by team or with this new lineup, but the Knicks are becoming a faster team as Fizdale wanted.

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It’s worth another reevaluation as the season moves forward, especially when Fizdale settles on a starting lineup. Pieces are still in flux, and it may be a while before they mesh and provide a proper sample size for the New York Knicks.

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