New York Knicks: Player grades through first 1/4 of the season

The New York Knicks have passed the quarter mark of the NBA season. In what has already been a rollercoaster of a year, the Knicks find themselves in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

While NY has seemed to regain their footing as they look to keep improving, the team had a rough month of November where they went 6-8.

Expectations were high going into the season for the New York Knicks, so how have they performed so far?

New York Knicks: Player grades this season

With player grades, you’re baking in expectations vs. how the player is performing. Of course, Obi Toppin is not being asked to play 40 minutes and run the offense, so while his individual stats may not be as massive as a starting player, that’s not what we’re measuring here.

We’re measuring how the individual players have performed relative to their preseason expectations.

Let’s get to it.

New York Knicks Player Grades: Julius Randle — C-

Julius Randle has taken on the role of the New York Knicks leader and that doesn’t just mean the go-to option on the court. It means you’re being placed under a microscope by the media. It means with every passing week you’re at the center of constant criticism, unrealistic expectations, trade rumors, and praise. It’s a never-ending smattering of news stories.

We saw it with Carmelo Anthony and we see it now with Julius Randle, he is the centerpiece of the New York Knicks.

After an All-NBA season, he’s taken a step back.

The expectations for Randle this season were really to play at the same level as last season but also to show some growth as a playmaker. Randle is a fantastic passer for his size but he’s incredibly inconsistent, especially under pressure. It feels like he hasn’t learned all that much from the Atlanta Hawks series.

It’s important to note the change in the starting lineup — Randle has been playing with new teammates Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to start the season, and the chemistry hasn’t been there.

Randle isn’t the sole person to blame for the struggles of the Knicks starters but he is at the center of it.

His shooting numbers have dropped. The 3-point percentage is down from 41.1% all the way down to 32.5%. His per-game totals are down. Almost all of his numbers are down.

It’s also the big moments — Picking up technical fouls, consistently missing clutch free throws, the New York Knicks need a lot more from their leader.

There’s still plenty of time for Julius Randel to pick things up and it looks like the recent changes to the starting lineup have gotten him back on track.

New York Knicks Player Grades:  RJ Barrett — D

It pains me to write something like this, but we have to be real. RJ Barrett hasn’t been struggling, he’s been one of the worst starters in the league so far this season.

The craziest part about this horrendous stretch of play is that it’s coming after a game on November 1st that felt like RJ Barrett’s true coming-out party. Barrett had a career-high 35 points in that game and it wasn’t just the totals — He took over the game down the stretch, calling for the ball, making plays, and hitting dagger after dagger off the dribble in the 4th quarter.

Since then, it’s been a real struggle.

In 15 games in November (Almost 1/5 of the season) RJ Barrett averaged 12.8 points on 36.8% from the field, 29.2% from 3, and 67.4% from the free throw line.

Those are unacceptable numbers and there aren’t excuses. I think that I, like many people, thought there wouldn’t be much of a statistical jump in RJ Barrett’s per-game totals but that he would still show improvements in other areas of the game while still playing at the level he did last season.

He’s New York Knicks fans’ baby, the prince of the city, and it’s hard to criticize him, but we have to take the blue and orange colored glasses off for a minute and call it for what it is.

Low-efficiency numbers in a limited role. Being a non-factor multiple times a week.

There are plenty of players within his draft class playing on teams of a similar level to the Knicks, with a similar amount of veterans in high-usage roles.

I’m not talking about Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. Tyler Herro, Darius Garland, Jordan Poole — They’re all a step ahead of Barrett right now.

Even the defense, which has had great moments against some big players, hasn’t been nearly as consistent as many fans would like to believe.

Defensive box +/-, which is one of the better defensive metrics for singling out good defenders regardless of team defense (The current top 5 is Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and Alex Caruso) has RJ Barrett 174th out of 192 qualified players. 

So here’s the good news: It’s only up from here.

RJ Barrett needs to settle back into his role as a good complimentary player and get his shooting numbers back up. He’s still important for the Knicks’ success and I think we can agree that it’s just a matter of time before the RJ Barrett from last season comes back to the court.

New York Knicks Player Grades: Mitchell Robinson — B-

It’s a little tricky to figure out a player grade for the New York Knicks center.

In terms of Mitchell Robinson’s long-term outlook with the team, which has been something of a constant discussion, it feels as though he’s always just keeping his head above water while almost drowning.

I don’t think anyone doubts that Mitchell Robinson can be a great rim-running center. He has the size, athleticism, and experience to wreak havoc in the paint.

Fans have maybe been a bit unfair in their expectations for Robinson to take some sort of a jump as a threat on offense — whether it’s adding some post moves or becoming a better passer.

However, the realistic jump for Robinson to take would simply be consistency in his current role. I believed in the preseason that Robinson had a legitimate shot to average a double-double.

He has not quite lived up to that prediction. Robinson has posted averages of 7.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game this season.

Robinson has played plenty of games, but it feels like every other game he has to leave or get checked on by trainers for obscure injuries.

He can match up with some big-time centers but the consistency is just not there yet. There’s still plenty of lapses throughout any given game, but there are also stretches where Robinson looks like a dominant physical center. The jury is still out on what his value is.

New York Knicks Player Grades: Evan Fournier — C

It’s safe to say that the New York Knicks’ big offseason acquisition hasn’t lived up to expectations. After an opening night performance that made it seem like he was about to be the clear-cut 2nd option, Evan Fournier had a very rough November.

There have been long stretches of Knicks games, particularly in the 4th quarter, where coach Tom Thibodeau kept Fournier on the bench.

It’s really just been a ton of inconsistency. Fournier has frequently looked hesitant, indecisive, and often times lacking energy.

The shooting has been inconsistent but not as terrible as some might think. Fournier is currently posting percentages of 41.5% from the field 39.5% from 3.

There have been a few games this season where Fournier was able to hit clutch shots and you can see his ability as a shot creator and why the Knicks went after him in free agency.

The playmaking is another attribute that has been lackluster, but it may be more of a reflection of the offense as a whole.

Fournier should be getting closer to 15 points per game as the season progresses and the keys for him are to find consistency and confidence in being one of the Knicks’ primary scorers.

New York Knicks Player Grades: Kemba Walker — C-

Well, given how Kemba Walker has been completely removed from the rotation, it would be easy to believe that he would be getting an F grade.

Really, his demotion has been all about how poor his fit with the team is. I don’t believe that Waker is that different of a player than we thought he was going into the season, but it’s been a struggle with him and the New York Knicks starters on offense.

Walker can still find his own shot. His numbers, on the surface, really aren’t terrible.

Just under 12 points per game and 3 assists while shooting 43% from the field and an impressive 41.3% from 3.

His player efficiency rating is the 2nd best of any of the team’s starters. 

It’s just been a bad fit with the team as a whole. Walker is a slower player at this point in his career and gets a lot of his scoring from isolation plays. He just isn’t much of a threat moving off-ball.

His small frame has made him a liability on defense as well and really, a net negative on the court. His +/- is the worst of any NBA player on a winning team this season.

It’s a sad story for the New York native that had so much excitement heading into the season but one that’s ultimately hard to see changing anytime soon. The Knicks have looked better without him in the lineup.

New York Knicks Player Grades: Derrick Rose — A-

Derrick Rose may very well be the New York Knicks 2nd best player behind Julius Randle.

At the very least, I can say with certainty that of all the players on this roster, I feel the most confident, safe, and secure when the ball is in Derrick Rose’s hands.

Rose brings a calmness and poise to New York’s lineup that is essential to their success.

Once again posting terrific shooting splits (just under 46% from the field and over 40% from 3) Rose looks like the same player who helped propel the Knicks to the 4 seed last season.

Even with the recent lineup changes, Derrick Rose has continued to play the same role from last year where he was 3rd in Sixth Man of The Year voting.

There is always debate around Knicks players and their roles except for Derrick Rose.

He’s a model of consistency and leadership and there doesn’t feel like there’s going to be any change in his role or performance throughout the season.

New York Knicks Player Grades: Alec Burks — A

Doesn’t matter what his role is. Doesn’t matter what the coach asks him to do. 15 minutes, 40 minutes — Alec Burks can step into the moment and seize it or play his usual secondary role with the team.

Burks was at the center of the rotation change, with Kemba Walker getting demoted, it was Alec Burks who coach Tom Thibodeau made the new starting point guard.

Burks has played heavy minutes as the team’s starter so far and has averaged over 20 points per game since taking over.

We know he’s not a star player. Seriously though, how much better is Evan Fournier than Alec Burks? It feels like paying Alec Burks 10 million per year turned out to be one of the New York Knicks’ best moves this offseason.

He’s excelled with both the bench and the starters.

He’s shooting a ridiculous 43% from 3. Not only that but he’s been the team’s most clutch player.

He’s turned into one of the most dependable players on this roster and flies under the radar. It feels like the move to make Burks the starting point guard was the right decision.

New York Knicks Player Grades: Immanuel Quickley — A-

Is there any player more beloved by Knicks fans than Immanuel Quickley?

After a slow first few games, Immanuel Quickley has jumped right back into what he started last season.

Another key part of the bench unit that has been responsible for most of the team’s success this season, Immanuel Quickley brings a level of speed and shooting that no one else on this team does.

Speed and shooting, two things that will let Quickley be a nice fit in any lineup that he’s a part of.

There hasn’t been a huge leap in terms of playmaking but there certainly has been flashes of improved play and awareness.

You’d like to see Quickley get his shooting percentages up just ever so slightly, but we know the degree of difficulty on a lot of his shots.

Also worth mentioning is his defense. Quickley’s combination of footspeed and wingspan (6’9) have really been put to good use on the perimeter. Again, that defense on guards is something the Knicks need.

Quickley will be seeing increased minutes with the Kemba Walker demotion and it feels like we’re going to see his numbers take a nice jump in the coming weeks.

New York Knicks Player Grades: Obi Toppin — A-

What a turnaround it’s been for Obi Toppin. He has been a jolt of lightning every time he’s stepped onto the court.

Remember, this isn’t just a case of the bench having better numbers because they play against opposing benches — the Knicks starters have been bad and the Knicks bench has been maybe the best bench in the league, both can true.

A huge part of the bench’s success is Obi Toppin, who leads the entire team in Player Efficiency Rating.

We know about Obi Toppin’s flaws, but it feels like he’s rarely exposed like he was last season. He’s maximized his strengths to the point where he always seems like he’s in the right position.

His speed and relentless motor in the frontcourt are irreplaceable. I talked about this in a recent article — How other Knicks players can be temporarily replaced by others on the Knicks roster, but no one else on the roster can bring the same skill set that Obi Toppin has.

The only thing keeping this from an A is his shooting. We expected better.

Toppin is shooting a really poor (that’s putting it nicely) 17% from 3. His looks are almost always open, he just doesn’t look like that great of a shooter yet — it’s still a lot of arms and not enough leg strength in his shot.

Even still, Obi Toppin has been a nightmare for opposing defenses and makes everyone around him better. The Bushwick native has turned into a heat-seeking missile.

(Note: No grades for Nerlens Noel, Taj Gibson, Quentin Grimes, and Miles McBride, who haven’t played enough.)