The New York Knicks have quietly surprised the Eastern Conference, but they still have questions regarding their long-term success.
Any question with the Knicks usually revolves around Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick Rose or how they’ll fare in the playoffs. All of those are intriguing because there’s no rock-solid answer. Porzingis might overtake Anthony if Melo begins to regress; Rose may not even play the entire season, and it’s not a guarantee that they make the playoffs.Because of our curiosity, Billy Nayden, Chip Murphy and I will give our perspective on some of the Knicks’ most glaring questions.
If only we were able to get Stephen A. Smith alongside us.
Keys For Playoff Success — Against Cleveland, Specifically
Zach: Before anything, the Knicks would — probably — need to advance beyond the first round. And, well, that’s unlikely. If the playoffs started to today, the 14-13 Knicks would be the six seed and Cleveland would be the first, meaning they couldn’t match up until the Conference Finals came around.
If that happened, the entire team would need to play nearly perfect against an MVP-level LeBron James, a Kyrie Irving who’s in his prime and a Kevin Love who finally looks comfortable in the backseat of the championship truck. It would start with running Cleveland off the three-point line and forcing as many twos as possible, followed up by a vehement attack of both the defensive and offensive backboards.
The chances of the Knicks getting out of that series are slim, but pushing the series beyond five games would shatter expectations.
Billy: Taking down Cleveland will certainly be no easy task for the Knicks, but there seems to be some semblance of a formula to take down the defending champs. The first step is realizing that no matter who you put out there, LeBron is going to get his. Make it difficult, force him to slow the game down, but, ultimately, let him score in the post. The men you have to defend vehemently on the offensive end are Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. As good as LeBron is, he can’t beat you by himself.
For the Knicks, they need to use the versatility of their front court to neutralize the Cavs’ rim protectors. If Kristaps and Melo can drag Tristan Thompson out to the perimeter, they open up the lane for Derrick Rose’s patented drives, where he can either finish at the hoop or dish to an open shooter. Either way, they need to make sure that Cleveland’s best defenders can’t hang out in the paint all night.
Chip: The Knicks beating LeBron James and the Cavs in four out of seven games is something that would only happen in an alternate universe.
But for the sake of argument let’s take a look at the keys to this outlandish scenario playing out.
First key: LeBron James must be hurt.
Second key: Carmelo Anthony must score 30 points in every game.
Third key: They must guard the three-point line (17th in opponents three-point percentage) and crash the boards (29th in defensive rebounding percentage).
Is power forward or center better for the Zinger?
Zach: Deciding whether your potential superstar 7-3 anomaly is better suited for the four or five is quite the problem to have. I believe that his position doesn’t even affect him because he’ll be a mismatch no matter what, but it’s the impact it has on everyone else. When Porzingis plays the five, Melo plays the four.
Because of the mismatch Melo brings and, despite his age and weakened knees, he’s still much quicker than more fours in the league — especially out of the triple threat position. In turn, Porzingis will have a mismatch himself with virtually anyone who guards him; not many players in the league can go one-on-one with a 7-3 forward who has handles and can knock down outside shot.
Billy: There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Porzingis is better at the center position, if not for the sole reason that allows Melo to slide to his more natural position at power forward. KP has gotten far stronger in his sophomore season and is now more than capable of using his 7-3 frame on defense to handle bigger defenders. Additionally, he has proven a solid rim protector throughout his career, averaging nearly two blocks per game.
On the offensive end, his versatile game is a matchup nightmare for most centers. KP has the ability to hit outside shots, post up and dribble drive, making him a devastating matchup for most centers, who are usually the slowest guys on the court. Porzingis is then able to drag them out to the perimeter, neutralizing their rim-protecting ability, while simultaneously keeping them on their toes with his varied arsenal of skills.
Chip: The question about the rightful position for Kristaps Porzingis seems to be open for discussion to everyone except the New York Knicks. When they signed Joakim Noah, it was the franchise effectively stating they think KP should be a power forward long-term. But, the truth is that even if the Noah signing wasn’t a disaster Porzingis should still be playing center.
He’s a matchup problem for taller players because of his unique skill set. His biggest weakness on defense is when he’s dragged out to the perimeter to guard shooting big men. If he were guarding centers, he’d be able to protect the rim more. His greatest skill.
Ranking The Bench Players
Zach: Both the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers get less bench production than the Knicks. There’s just one issue: the Knicks aren’t the Cavs nor the Warriors.
When Jeff Hornacek looks at his reserves, Brandon Jennings is first off the bench. And rightfully so. Despite being one of the NBA’s worst shooters his exuberance and energy of the bench help liven his teammates, and he does a surprisingly good job of finding guys in the open floor; he leads the Knicks with 5.3 assists a night.
Moreover, he’s the kind of gritty, pesky ball player that New Yorkers love. (I’m not a Knicks fan, but I’ve lived in New York my whole life, and I love watching Jennings go out there and play with an unmatched swagger and flash.)
After that, it’s a hodge-podge of guys who do are decent enough to hold down the fort. Kyle O’Quinn and Justin Holiday are two who immediately come to mind, and they’ve carved out niches on defense (KOQ) and as a three-point specialist (Holiday). Aside from Willy Hernangomez, none of the other bench guys (Ron Baker, Sasha Vujacic, Maurice Ndour) have dazzled enough to get minutes.
Billy: Unquestionably, Brandon Jennings is the best player on the Knicks bench. He leads all bench players in points and assists, as well as being just two shy of leading the bench in steals.
After Jennings, the reserves get a bit muddled, but the next tier of guys in the second unit is Kyle O’ Quinn, Justin Holiday, and Lance Thomas. O’Quinn has had a stellar season for the Knicks and put up massive numbers when called upon during Joakim Noah’s injury. Holiday, considered a throw-in in the Derrick Rose trade, has been a surprisingly versatile guard, capable of doing a bit of everything, albeit not at an elite level. Finally, Thomas has become a consistent bench scorer, though injuries have kept him out for much of the year.
Rounding out the rotation is Willie Hernangomez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas, two first year Euros who are rounding into form. Certainly, both guys have shown flashes of talent, but neither has been able to crack into the upper echelon of bench guys for the Knicks.
The likes of Ron Baker, Maurice Ndour, Sasha Vujacic and Marshall Plumlee fall into the “in case of emergency” category of bench players, and should only play if the Knicks succumb to injuries down the stretch.
Chip: Kyle O’Quinn has turned around his career under new head coach Jeff Hornacek. After struggling in an inconsistent rotation under Derek Fisher, O’Quinn is thriving in a new offense. He’s made an impact on the offensive glass and with his mid-range shooting. With Joakim Noah being such a disappointment the Knicks have needed O’Quinn even more than they thought.
Justin Holiday was a throw-in as a part of the Derrick Rose trade. His anticipated role was as a fringe rotation player. Instead, Holiday has become one of the Knicks most valuable role players. He is making threes at a high clip (.371) and playing good defense on the wing.
Brandon Jennings has exceeded expectations in his sixth man role. The fact that he’s made such a seamless transition into a pass-first point guard is impressive and shows his will to win. Jennings has been more than just his stats in New York. He signed a discount deal because he wanted to be a Knick. Willy Hernangomez was a fan favorite before he even came to the NBA. He was known only as a friend and teammate to Kristaps Porzingis but was enough to encourage fans to his potential. Hernangomez’s per-36 numbers are off the charts, and he’s become one of the team’s best rebounders.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas has been aggressive from his first game. His playing time has gone down with the return of Lance Thomas. Hornacek is giving the veteran the benefit of the doubt right now to try and prove himself ahead of the rookie. Lance Thomas might end up at the top of this list by season’s end. He’s been playing hurt since the start of the season, but the Knicks went 7-3 in the ten games he missed making fans turn against him. LT earned the right to more time.
The end of the bench is a huge drop-off. In limited minutes, Maurice Ndour has provided the Knicks with the expected defense and rebounding. Ron Baker has become a fan favorite over the past couple of games. It was mostly because of his hair. He can shoot a little, though.
Marshall Plumlee has only appeared in three games. He’s lived up to his scouting report. He plays hard and can do little on offense. Sasha Vujacic is bad. He’s made just 5 of his 19 threes and lost the third point guard spot to Baker.