Jazz 108, Knicks 93: They almost had it

The Knicks, led by the efforts of their young contingent of players, staged a comeback against the Jazz on Sunday night. New York had a chance to do things like a normal team for once… instead, Tom Thibodeau once again reverted to his comfort zone, and the Knicks lost a laugher behind one of Julius Randle’s worst games of the season.

They almost had it. No, I don’t mean the game. Although, after falling behind double digits in the third quarter, the Knicks came fairly close to making this one a ballgame early in the fourth. But for a good while, I thought the Knicks were going to just play an ordinary game. One that wouldn’t see the usual suspects trending on Twitter, and leave Knick fans feeling worse than they were when the game started. But, alas, that’s not this season. What happened? Let’s dive in.

Unconscious 

The Knicks started the game in a flurry, seemingly unable to miss any shot they put up. Facing a Jazz team that entered the game in the top 10 in overall defensive rating, the Knicks were surprisingly able to get whatever they wanted. Most of it came on the perimeter, but the ball was moving and the Knicks were getting a good look almost every time down the floor. In fact, when RJ Barrett knocked down his second 3-pointer of the quarter at the 2:34 mark (both assisted by Evan Fournier), it was the Knicks’ seventh of the quarter, and the team had already put up 29 points.

While most probably knew the hot shooting would come back to earth, there was a lot to like. Barrett continues to blossom before our eyes. He’s not, nor will he ever be, a perfect player, but he has a way, even when he’s struggling, of reminding you why he’s so easy to root for. Last night was no different. And then there’s the much-maligned Fournier, who has settled in nicely at the end of this frustrating season. Head coach Tom Thibodeau, who spent the first 60 games using Fournier as a Reggie Bullock replacement, has eased up slightly as of late and allowed Fournier to expand his reach for the Knicks. Fournier is not, nor has he ever been, Reggie Bullock. In fact, that was the entire point of signing him! Fournier’s ability to create off the bounce and his arsenal of funky passes he can make in traffic are aspects of his game that were supposed to differentiate and make him an upgrade from Bullock. Regardless, the Knicks ended the quarter up 31-26, and Fournier’s versatility was a big part of it.

Growing pains

The Knicks started the second quarter with their “all-youth” lineup of Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, Barrett, Obi Toppin, and Jericho Sims, and the early results were not pretty. Surprisingly, the struggles stemmed from a flawed process. The ball stuck, the players were indecisive, and the early energy was a little bit flat. Grimes has looked hesitant since his return from injury. Quickley had one of those stretches where it appeared he had tunnel vision. Toppin was relegated to the corner and Sims was simply no match for Rudy Gobert. By the time Fournier, Alec Burks and Julius Randle checked back into the game with seven minutes left in the second, the bench unit had only scored seven points and the Knicks had fallen behind by six points.

In spite of loving any minutes we can get featuring the young guys, something has always rubbed me the wrong way about these all-youth lineups. One of the main critiques of Thibodeau this season has been his limited use of these players, despite positive returns as the players they back up underwhelm. Clearly, for whatever reason, Thibodeau does not believe these players are ready to carry a bigger burden. Which begs the question, why, when he does let them lace up their shoes, does he play them all together? 

All young players hit speed bumps, that’s just the nature of developing at the highest level. But there are ways to alleviate their burden on the nights they don’t have it. For example, while Grimes has shown flashes throughout his rookie season, he is not consistently able to contribute off the dribble yet. He would benefit from the attention Randle gets even on his worst night. Quickley, who Thibodeau doesn’t compare favorably to Burks at point guard, is thrown into the fire being asked to organize and elevate an all-youth lineup.

This highlights the importance of staggering, something Thibodeau simply refuses to do. There are so many combinations of players who don’t spend enough time on the court together. In last night’s game, the trio of Randle, Burks, and Fournier spent more time on the court together than Donovon Mitchell and Rudy Gobert did for the Jazz. It’s tough to reconcile with that lack of imagination. And who knows? Maybe the good qualities the kids bring could help the struggling starters? Maybe Quickley’s infectious energy is exactly what Fournier or Randle need. Or maybe Grimes’ defensive versatility could lighten the load on a clearly exhausted Burks. We don’t know these answers because Thibodeau won’t ask the questions.

Which is why it’s difficult to be too hard on the kids when they struggle like they did in the second quarter. They have somehow been simultaneously undermined and thrown into the fire by their head coach. They’re not good enough to break into the starting lineup for even a couple of minutes a night, but they are good enough to play stretches without a safety net? This does not pass the logic test. 

Accountability

This brings us to the heart of the Knicks’ problems: Julius Randle. Randle has been a disaster this season, and that came to a head in the third quarter last night, when all of his vices came to the forefront at once. For starters, Randle was listless. His effort was so low it was noticeable, which for his standards is saying something. One play that stood out was when Mitchell got a pass in transition and Fournier was the only man standing between him in the basket. Randle trailed, and couldn’t be bothered to contest the shot, meekly watching Fournier cede an and-1 opportunity for Mitchell.

Seriously, what is that? And then, of course, there was this:

I don’t know if Randle is just done caring about this season, or done caring about playing for the Knicks, but clearly something is off right now. The Knicks faithful are a blue collar fanbase. Effort is the bar. And Randle continues to combine the lowest levels of effort with a selfish playstyle that completely hijacks the offense. After last night’s 6-21 shooting stinker, Randle is now 17 for his last 61 from the floor. 

Despite his struggles, Randle, once again, played the entire third quarter. Thibodeau has made it clear all season that there are two different sets of rules for his players. He has hoped that his faith in Randle would be rewarded, but he’s been left empty-handed. As we all know, this faith, which has teetered on obsession, has adverse effects. Namely, Knicks’ second-year power forward Obi Toppin’s minutes exist on a damn near zero sum (or in this case, 48-minute sum) scale with Randle. If Thibodeau were willing to try and play the two together, this would not be as big an issue. But he doesn’t, so it is.

Last night Toppin scored four less points than Randle on FIFTEEN less shots. Thibodeau hasn’t figured out how to involve him in more actions that suit his skillset, yet Toppin still flies around each possession as if it’s the last one he’ll ever play.

You don’t see it in this clip, but Toppin somehow makes it to the corner opposite from the one where he just blocked a 3-pointer and closes out on a second shooter.

Thibodeau preaches accountability and earning your minutes in almost every press conference, but what does it mean to be accountable? Is guaranteeing Randle 35 minutes a night in the face of waning effort and production accountability? And what message does it send to young guys who are being told, effectively, there is nothing they can do to play more? Seventy games of the team playing better with them on the floor isn’t enough, because Thibodeau knows better.

Last night was just another example of this “accountability” in action. After trailing by as many as 14 points late in the third quarter, Thibodeau inserted Deuce McBride into the game for the first time. McBride, whose impact numbers in an extremely small sample of minutes have been off the charts, came in and immediately affected the game. His energy was palpable on the defensive end, and late in the shot clock he created an open corner three for Toppin for his first assist of the night. For the first time all game, the Garden was electric.

And then Thibodeau intervened. The Jazz reinserted Mitchell into the game, so Thibodeau pulled McBride for Barrett. Thibodeau loves matching up against opposing stars, and last night Barrett got the Mitchell assignment. But this was a clear momentum spot — the Knicks had cut the lead to just six points, and were deploying a lineup that contained not one, but three more than capable defenders in McBride, Quickley, and Grimes. On top of that, Barrett, who is only a few weeks removed from being out with a serious ankle injury, has averaged 41 minutes a game over his last five games. Would it have killed Thibodeau to give that lineup just a little bit more time? Naturally, Mitchell hit a three the very first possession after the substitutions.

Nevertheless, the Knicks, led by Quickley’s 14 points, hung tough. And after a stifling defensive possession and a beautiful outlet pass from Quickley to a streaking Toppin, the Knicks had clawed their way back to just a 4-point deficit. But Thibodeau has his rules. So in came Randle and Fournier, and out went Toppin and Quickley. Gone, too, were the Knicks’ chances, as a 4-point deficit became 16 in the blink of an eye.

This game summed up all that’s gone wrong for the Knicks this season. Their reigning Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year have both been shells of themselves. Unfortunately, they also play the biggest roles in dictating the successes (or failures) of the franchise. At least for the time being. Because as the Knicks walked off the court, or in Randle’s case, were pulled off the court by teammates because he tried to fight Rudy Gobert, I couldn’t help but wonder how much more of this the Knicks’ front office is willing to take before considering real changes in the offseason.

I know most fans can’t take much more.