Merry Knicksmas and happy holidays to the best NBA fans in the world! The most wonderful time of the year has arrived, especially for us, who will get to see the Knicks play the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day.
We all want presents, and we’ll talk about what each Knick gets for Knicksmas this year. I wrote the same article last year, so it’s safe to say this will now be a tradition, like watching Christmas movies with your family, but more fun and with more Knicks!
Whether you’re spending your holidays drinking eggnog and hearing your drunk uncle ramble on about politics, avoiding your crazy family like they have the plague, opening presents, spending time with loved ones, or are like me and plan to watch basketball all day drinking hot chocolate, every New York basketball is carving out a few hours to root for their team.
As for this season … it;s been up and down so far. The Knicks recently had their eight-game win streak snapped by the Toronto Raptors, during which Mitchell Robinson took a shot to the groin, hurting the Knicks’ defense down the stretch.
On the whole, RJ Barrett and Julius Randle each struggled at the beginning of the season, but everyone on the team has now adjusted to the Jalen Brunson-led offense. Robinson has remained healthy and emerged in an influential way. Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride have taken impressive leaps. Immanuel Quickley has been a very good sixth man.
So what do all of these guys (plus the rest of the roster) deserve under the tree on Christmas Day? We think we have a good idea in regard to what each Knicks player should unwrap before Sunday’s game against the 76ers.
The Starting 5
Julius Randle: A Written Apology from 90% of Knicks fans
Knicks fans who hated Julius Randle during the 2019-20 season did not want to accept his improvement, and it felt like they were happy he was struggling in 2021. Randle’s now playing like an All-Star, averaging 22.5 points and 9 rebounds while shooting 45% from the field. To all the Randle haters out there who root for the Knicks, stop being weird, you know who you are.
Jalen Brunson: A Ticket to the All Star Game
The Knicks signed Jalen Brunson instantly to kick offfree agency. They just paid the price of tampering in the form of a 2025 second-round pick, which was well worth it. Brunson has run the show and completely revitalized a team that was hard to watch. Brunson has played like an All-Star and he deserves to go to the annual festivities in Utah.
RJ Barrett: A Sports Psychologist
Remember being a kid and everything you got for Christmas was so fun because your parents just wanted you to have good memories? Then you get older, and you know Santa is as real as Kevin Durant’s Warriors championship rings? Well, now it’s young RJ’s turn to grow up. Last year I said that he should get a reunion with Zion Williamson for Christmas, but that door has closed. A year later, RJ continued his awful pattern of playing terribly in the first 1.5 months of the season, and it has to stop. Barrett has been averaging 22 points and 6 rebounds on 46/37/73 shooting splits in December, though. So hopefully consistency is on the way.
Mitchell Robinson: Bubble Wrap… and some cool car decals
Ok, so the bubble wrap is because Mitch has been somewhat injury prone. When he’s healthy and in a groove, he’s so hard to stop, and his energized style is just so unstoppable in the paint. If he can stay healthy, the Knicks can maintain a dominant presence in the paint they’ve had trouble maintaining in recent memory. As for the decals, if you follow Mitch, you know he loves his cars.
Quentin Grimes: A Signed Letter from Leon Rose that he is still untouchable
Grimes has been everything the Knicks could ask for in a role player. His three ball has once again started falling at a great clip … not to mention his incredible defense. Grimes gave DeMar DeRozan, one of the best isolation players in the NBA, a considerable amount of trouble the last time the Knicks faced the Bulls. Grimes also has shown that he’s getting more comfortable with the ball in his hands, and it will be fun to watch him grow for years in the orange and blue after he came very close to being traded in a huge package for Donovan Mitchell. Good thing we didn’t do that.