The New York Knicks have their fans excited about their hot start.
The New York Knicks are fun. That statement alone is something worth talking about. After missing the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, firing yet another head coach last December, and revamping the front office again, it seemed like 2020-21 would be a season of dealing with the ramifications of pushing the reset button.
And while it still could be a year heavily weighted with losses, the Knicks, under coach Tom Thibodeau, are playing a spirited and exciting brand of basketball.
New York won another fun game on Monday, defeating the Atlanta Hawks on the road 113-108. The last time the Knicks were playing in Atlanta, it was just as the league was shutting down due to the pandemic.
In their latest victory, playing in the shadow of COVID nearly ten months later, they recorded some amazing statistical feats.
1) For the first time since 2012-13, they have won four of their first seven games.
New York’s 4-3 record is tied for their second best start since 2001. You read that correctly: this is one of their best starts in the past twenty years. They started 6-1 during that magical 2012-13 season. And they were 4-3 in 2008-09.
While watching their hot start, Knicks fans are falling more in love with rookie Immanuel Quickley every night. RJ Barrett is starting to break out. And something has turned Julius Randle into the second coming of LeBron James.
What other statistical feats did they accomplish on Monday?
RJ Barrett accomplishes a rare statistical feat
It’s hard to believe that RJ Barrett still hasn’t played in 82 games as a New York Knicks player. But with last season cut short due to the pandemic, he has only suited up for 63 games in the NBA.
And the 2019 lottery pick is showing why fans who already gave up on him might want to rethink their assessment.
As the Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks to improve to a surprising 4-3 record on the young season, Barrett was a catalyst. He scored 26 points on 10-19 shooting, pulled down 11 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists.
Why is that stat line so special?
The last New York Knick to put up a stat line with numbers like that in their second season was Patrick Ewing in 1987. The last three Knicks to post at least 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists within their first two seasons were Ewing, Bill Cartwright, and Walt Frazier.
The Knicks haven’t had a lot of success with young players on their roster over the past several decades. Part of that was due to their inability to keep draft picks early during James Dolan’s ownership. And recently, they have failed to finish high enough in the lottery to secure a player with Barrett’s upside.
But they have RJ now. And the 20-year-old is showing he has plenty of game to offer in the NBA. While he needs to show more consistency, overall he was averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists entering Monday’s play.
Julius Randle has been unstoppable
Knicks fans are pinching themselves as they watch Julius Randle play like a superstar. That is not hyperbole. Through seven games, the Knick everyone loved to hate since he signed a 3-year, $62 million contract in 2019 is averaging 22.1 points on 50.9% shooting, including 40.7% from three, while adding 11.4 rebounds and a whopping 7.4 assists per game.
During Monday’s win over Atlanta, he ended one assist short of recording his second triple double in four games.
However, his 28 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists are still noteworthy. Since 2017, only 6 NBA players have put together a stat line similar to that: James Harden, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMarcus Cousins, and Russell Westbrook. That is it. Those are the names of players who have put up at least 28 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists in a game over the past three years. Amazing.
If the Knicks continue to get this kind of production from Randle they will have to completely re-evaluate his fit on the roster long-term. While nothing has been officially reported, it is hard to imagine the Steve Mills signing was considered a cornerstone player by this new front office given that he is a bit of an awkward fit next to Mitchell Robinson. Or so we thought.
It’s only seven games. Let’s see what happens over the next seven, and the seven after that. But New York Knicks fans have every right to be excited about a group of players who are playing an exciting brand of basketball that has been missing from the Big Apple for too long.