Some early takeaways from the New York Knicks’ first three games.
The New York Knicks have had a Helter Skelter start to their 2020-21 season. After losing the first two games and looking pretty bad during long stretches of both of them, they shocked the NBA world by blowing out the Milwaukee Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back (while the Bucks were rested).
Three games isn’t a large enough sample to make any sweeping conclusions about the Tom Thibodeau coached team, but there are a few early takeaways worth noting.
1) Julius Randle can be a positive contributor
After a season of watching Julius Randle spin into double and triple teams that he never passed out of, Knicks fans had pretty much given up hope on the young forward becoming a useful piece on the roster.
His fit is a bit awkward next to Mitchell Robinson and RJ Barrett, so if the priority is to develop the franchise’s cornerstone pieces, as it should be, finding a new home for Randle seemed to be a necessary step the front office would eventually need to take.
However, Randle is proving that he can be a productive player when focused on the right things. His assist percentage has always been relatively high for his position, but this year we are seeing his passing reach a new level. He is averaging 6.3 assists per game, almost double his previous season’s output. And he is passing out of double teams without hesitation.
His counting stats can’t be ignored either. He is averaging 23.7 points per game, while shooting 55.3% from the field, including 5-9 accuracy from downtown. He is also pulling down ten rebounds per game.
There is no way around it, Randle has been a pleasant surprise early.
2) Frank Ntilikina’s role
Once Tom Thibodeau was hired to be the Knicks’ coach, a lot of people following the team automatically assumed it would be good news for Frank Ntilikina. The defensive-minded guard would become a favorite of Thibs as he locked down the opposition’s best player each night.
However, that is not how things have worked out so far. Entering Sunday night’s game, Ntilikina had only played seven minutes. It wasn’t until the Knicks suffered so many injuries they literally ran out of guards on the roster when Ntilikina finally got his chance to play.
Luckily for him, he made the most of his opportunity, knocking down four three-pointers in as many attempts during the Knicks’ blowout win over Milwaukee on Sunday.
New York decided to let the extension deadline pass without locking up Ntilikina to a long-term deal. He will become a restricted free agent next summer. It will be interesting to track his playing time throughout the season.
3) The importance of Immanuel Quickley
While Elfrid Payton proved Knicks fans should wait before passing judgment on his 2020-21 play with an unpredictable performance on Sunday night, the absence of a point guard who can shoot is still a problem, which is why the health and emergence of Immanuel Quickley is so important.
If the Kentucky product plays anywhere close to as effective as he did in the preseason, the Knicks will be in much better position to deploy lineups with him as the lead ball-handler.
From both a floor spacing and pick-and-roll perspective, Quickley can open up the offense for the rest of the young Knicks players. It’s hard to believe the young guard already plays an important role on the roster, but he does.