For the first time this season, the New York Knicks have won four straight games. The streak started with an impressive win over Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers and the Knicks’ latest win was a 112-99 victory over the Kings on Sunday.
New York has three days off before traveling to Chicago to play back-to-back games against the Bulls at the United Center on Wednesday and Friday. Chicago sits below New York in the Eastern Conference standings with an 11-15 record that has sparked trade rumors about All-Star Zach LaVine.
The Knicks could very well extend their streak this week, but before we make it that far, let’s go over a few takeaways from the team’s previous four wins.
Four straight wins for the Knicks now. That ties for their second longest win streak since 2013-14, a mark achieved several times, and trails only their nine straight in the #WeHere season. #WeBack?
— Jonathan Macri (@JCMacriNBA) December 12, 2022
3 reasons Knicks fans should be excited about four-game win streak
3: Julius Randle’s hot streak
After an offseason that was full of trade rumors and a fan base that didn’t want to see him suit up in a Knicks uniform again, Julius Randle has been off to a hot start in 2022-23. As expected, he’s benefitted from the addition of Jalen Brunson.
Randle’s averaging 22.3 points in 27 games, the second-highest for him since he averaged 24.1 points during his All-Star season. In the wins over the Hawks and Hornets, he scored 30+ points. The same could’ve been said about the win over the Kings, but he was ejected in the third quarter after scoring 27 points, which included 17 points in the first quarter alone.
If Brunson has to miss time with his sprained ankle, New York will be relying on Randle even more. His success so far this season hasn’t necessarily been unexpected, but it’s been nice to see after a rocky 2021-22 season.
With the Knicks hoping to earn the opportunity to compete in the play-in tournament at the end of the year, the way in which Julius Randle plays between now and then will play a big role in that. He isn’t going to be on fire every night, but so far, his play has been a pleasant surprise. In the words of RJ Barrett (subscription required), “he’s hooping.”
2: Tom Thibodeau booting Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose out of rotation
Tom Thibodeau’s new nine-man rotation that doesn’t include Evan Fournier or Derrick Rose has resulted in four consecutive wins for New York. Fournier has been out of the rotation for nearly a month and Rose hasn’t played since the Knicks’ last loss on Dec. 3.
It may have taken far too long for Thibodeau to embrace the kids, but now that he finally has, it’s worked out in his favor. With the Knicks battling for a play-in spot, there’s no reason to not give the team’s younger players more minutes versus playing veterans like Rose. Quentin Grimes has done well as a starter and Immanuel Quickley is having a good season himself, although the latter’s name has surprisingly been brought up in trade reports.
Thibodeau showing flexibility has quite literally been a game-changer for New York and has resulted in the team sitting above .500 at 14-13. Knicks fans weren’t calling for the head coach to play the kids for no reason as it’s clear that New York has some talented young players on its roster.
And, of course, with Thibs reportedly being on the hot seat earlier in the season, having an open mind with his newest rotation has played in his favor.
1: RJ Barrett’s improvement
Julius Randle has been the Knicks’ best player lately, but RJ Barrett’s success over the past few games is the best part about the team’s win streak. Barrett started the season on a poor note after signing a four-year extension in the offseason and has gone through a few slumps, but he’s turned a corner in New York’s last couple of games.
Against the Hornets, Barrett shot 50% from the field for 26 points to pair with seven rebounds and four assists. In the win over the Kings, he shot 42.9% from the floor for 27 points and added nine rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and three steals. One of RJ’s main issues this season is consistency and if he can build off his efficiency in recent games, he could start to look like the All-Star that fans were hoping he’d be.
The Knicks invested in Barrett during the offseason and they need him to be their guy, which was the case for Randle last year, but instead, he was more of a disappointment for the entirety of the season. However, RJ’s case is different than Julius’ because he’s one of New York’s homegrown talents and was the first player that was drafted in the first round to sign an extension since Charlie Ward.
RJ Barrett upped his game in the second half of last season, but the Knicks can’t sit around and wait for him to do the same this season. Let’s hope that this version of RJ hangs around.
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