How will Knicks adjust to RJ Barrett’s injury after update?

RJ Barrett’s inconsistency has defined the New York Knicks’ 2022-2023 season thus far. An eight-game win streak was promptly followed by one of the most brutal four-game slides you’ll ever see thanks to the heartbreak-style losses.

It all came to a head on Tuesday when Barrett left the game against the Dallas Mavericks with a finger laceration (after his 44-point performance on the 23rd and then dismal Christmas Day showing) and the Knicks blew a nine-point lead with 27 seconds left to eventually lose the game in overtime.

Now, the Knicks are expected to be without Barrett for most likely a week, which could take him out for their next four games (through Jan. 4) against the Spurs (twice), Rockets and Suns. New York was beyond short-handed when Barrett went down against Dallas, so how will Tom Thibodeau adjust?

Barrett’s two minutes played on Tuesday forced Julius Randle, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride to see the floor for 45 minutes or more. Mitchell Robinson logged 36, followed by Jericho Sims at 13 and Isaiah Hartenstein and Derrick Rose at 12.

By the end of regulation, it was evident everybody was gassed. The defensive effort was weak. The rebounding was poor. The discipline non-existent.

How can Knicks adjust without RJ Barrett following his finger injury?

The good news is that point guard Jalen Brunson isn’t expected to miss much time. Though he’s questionable for Thursday night’s game in San Antonio, he shouldn’t be out beyond this contest, especially with days off in between their games against Houston, Phoenix and San Antonio.

That should help alleviate the pressure on the rotation, but does this mean we’ll see brief returns for Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish, both of whom haven’t logged a minute since Nov. 13 (Fournier) and Dec. 3 (Reddish)?

After the loss to the Mavericks, Thibodeau said the fact neither played despite the team’s injury troubles on Tuesday was no indication that they aren’t going to see the floor at all moving forward.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Fournier and Reddish were able to offer more frequent breathers for the guys snagging regular minutes. The Spurs and Rockets are two of the worst teams in the NBA while the Suns are undermanned without Devin Booker for the next month or so.

Perhaps an increase in minutes for Jericho Sims, who has managed to impress at PF and C the last two seasons? More time for Rose, who could stand to see his trade value increase?

It’s unclear what Thibodeau will do, but there are limited options. The goal here should be to preserve the longevity of Brunson, Randle, Quickley, Robinson and Grimes so they’re not run into the ground over what should be one of the easier four-game stretches of the season.

Knicks’ historic meltdown vs Mavericks fully erased 8-game win streak

The New York Knicks blew a nine-point lead with 27 seconds left against the Dallas Mavericks for one of the worst losses you'll ever see in NBA history.