Knicks 116, Bulls 100: Clear skies ahead?

As the haze of another Knick win settles, Geoff Rasmussen finds more reasons for excitement — as well as question marks

On Wednesday night the New York Knicks played a basketball game against the Chicago Bulls. The game was played on hardwood with an orange ball just like any other. I won’t mince words: if you’re reading this almost 48 hours after the game ended seeking a blow-by-blow recap, you’re out of luck.

It’s not that I don’t care about this game. It was a fairly high-quality game between two teams both playing good basketball. The Bulls, 10-6 since losing Zach LaVine, have discovered team offense and a defensive intensity lacking earlier in the season. And while the Knicks had technically lost 3 of 4, the OG Anunoby trade seems to have rejuvenated the franchise, who responded with a tremendous performance in over the West-leading Minnesota Timberwolves.

But it’s been almost two days; the subtle nuances of the game have been beaten into the ground. There have been threads and video breakdowns about Julius Randle’s two-way mastery, Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein’s Steel Curtain-like defense, and Jalen Brunson channeling his inner Steve Nash. And if you know me, you know I have far more interest in the macro than the micro. So without further ado, let’s dive into this basketball game that was probably closer than the scoreboard indicates and try to figure out what parts of the game should encourage Knicks fans and which ones should give them some pause.

The Good

As I type this, I sit in a temporary state of mental paralysis. Why? Because the Knicks traded away my two favorite players less than a week ago and I feel better about the team. They say healing takes 21 days. My healing took two. Any lingering pain dissipated watching Anunoby play.

Everything starts with Anunoby. Everything about him is additive. He represents the idea of compounding gains. In Anunoby the individual, the Knicks gain one of the league’s best point-of-attack defenders, a versatile defender capable of guarding Devin Booker one night and Giannis Antetokounmpo the next. 

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Anunoby’s mere presence slides his new teammates into more optimal roles. Sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo goes from the starting lineup’s primary defender to an off-ball menace living in the passing lanes. Hartenstein gets to spend less time serving as a human band-aid for a bullet wound and more time seeking souls to capture. He has eight blocks in two games with Anunoby. Does it end there? Of course not.

Julius Randle, known for lapses of defensive indifference, now rarely finds himself responsible for the opposing team’s best- or second-best offensive players. This reduction in role, combined with Tom Thibodeau’s increased willingness to allow his defenders to switch, have seemingly motivated Randle to lock in on that side of the ball. It wouldn’t surprise me if the two games Randle has played with Anunoby have been the two best defensive games of his season.

Lastly, due to Anunoby’s sharpshooting from beyond the arc (especially compared to the guy he is replacing), Brunson now has more space to operate in and more options at his disposal. Brunson has responded with 27 assists in two games with Anunoby. The ball is flying around with a zest the Mecca hasn’t seen since Clyde Frazier was prancin’ and dancin’. (Ed. note: Mark Jackson was quite the dime-slinger in his day)

If these two games are any indicator, Anunoby has transformed the Knicks’ starting lineup into one of the best in the league. With RJ Barrett, they were outscored by 10.4 points per 100 possessions. With Anunoby, the Knicks are outscoring opponents by 44.4. That laughable number will decrease. It is simply unsustainable. The additive impact Anunoby is providing for his teammates, though, implies Leon Rose brought the perfect supporting piece to New York.

The Bad

Unfortunately, to get a great player you typically have to give something up. To acquire Anunoby, the Knicks parted ways with their beloved sixth (seventh?) man, Immanuel Quickley. This was a bit of a gamble on the Knicks’ part. Look at any metric correlated to impact on winning over the last few seasons and you’ll see Quickley at the top of the list for the Knicks.

While replacing Barrett with Anunoby is overwhelmingly a huge win for the Knicks, the once-dependable bench mob appears to be a casualty. On the day of the trade, Josh Hart was second on the Knicks in net rating differential behind, you guessed it, Quickley, at +10.2. After just three games without Quickley, that number has already been almost cut in half (+5.3).

To Thibodeau’s credit, he’s already exhausted multiple options. He’s mixed up rotations, trying both Randle and Brunson with different bench combinations. So far, very little has worked. The Knicks are getting by leveraging the dominance of their starting lineup. The Barrett-for-Anunoby swap has worked. But if they are going to achieve their goals, they will likely need someone to step in who can approach Quickley’s impact and production off the bench.

This is a big moment for Deuce McBride, who’s struggled mightily since rejoining the rotation. With Randle taking Barrett’s place as the starter who plays with the bench, it’s on McBride to develop chemistry with him. He needs to balance yielding to Randle with an aggressive nature that shows he can run the offense when Brunson isn’t on the court. McBride is a wonderful defender and streaky shooter off the catch. There is a place for him in this league. But if he doesn’t step up soon, it might not be with the Knicks.

The Josh Hart

Do the Knicks have a Hart problem?

It would be reasonable to argue that Hart spearheaded their strong finish last season; he was immaculate down the stretch. Yes, he shot a preposterous 52% beyond the arc, but he did almost everything else well, too. This season, Hart has regressed in almost every area. Per EPM, his defense is the worst it’s been in four seasons while his offensive impact is the worst of his entire career. Overall, he sits in the 30th percentile across the league in impact. 

This shouldn’t be an issue. Players slump all the time. Hart was so good last season and has been so consistently impactful throughout his career that he should be given the benefit of the doubt. Is it possible his hot shooting last season exaggerated how good he can consistently be? Perhaps. But he finds so many different ways to help your team that it would be almost unprecedented for him to just regress across the board.

But Thibodeau has a blind spot when it comes to Hart. Whether he’s helping or hurting, Thibs wants him out there. He likes his size at the point of attack and protecting the glass. This might have had merit a week ago, when the Knicks were an objectively small team. While I still would have run more lineups with Quentin Grimes or even DiVincenzo at the 3, I can at least understand Thibodeau’s trepidation.

Now? There is no defense. The frontline of Anunoby-Randle-Hartenstein is huge in today’s league. They are winning rebound battles almost unequivocally and Anunoby will take every primary matchup. Brunson, the defensive weak link, will run the show in those lineups. In between them, you want someone who can provide gravity for Brunson, make teams pay if their defenders cheat off them, and defend off-the-ball. DiVincenzo and Grimes check all three boxes; DiVincenzo himself is an elite rebounding guard.

It was an annoyance when Thibodeau prioritized Hart over Quickley in the face of all data. Post-Anunoby, the size issue is gone. It’s time to start playing the best players. Right now, that is not Hart. And even if we see the expected positive regression, it will likely not be at shooting guard. 

Wednesday night as the Bulls tried to chase down the Knicks, they ignored Hart off-ball. Though the Knicks had answers to the Bulls’ attempted exploitation on this particular night, that will be tougher against the elite teams. Rotations will be crisper, execution tighter. Playing effectively 4-on-5 puts a ton of pressure on Brunson and Randle, especially nights they’re playing 40+ minutes. If Thibodeau stubbornly submits to his biases, I fear there could be negative long-term consequences for the team.

Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe Hart picks it up and shoots the lights out again. Only time will tell. And besides, perfect should never be the enemy of the really really good. The Knicks get their first crack at a very good team in Philadelphia tonight. Let’s see if they can keep it up.