With Marcus Morris Sr. listed as doubtful for Friday’s game, the already shorthanded New York Knicks could be without their top scorer.
The New York Knicks will likely be down three contributors on Friday, two of whom are starters. Julius Randle will miss Friday’s game due to personal reasons. Dennis Smith Jr. is recovering from strained oblique and will miss his seventh game in a row. Now the Knicks are listing Marcus Morris Sr. as doubtful will a sore neck.
Injury Report for 1/10 versus New Orleans: Doubtful – Morris Sr. (sore neck); Out – Randle (personal reasons) and Smith Jr. (strained left oblique).
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) January 10, 2020
If Morris misses the game, as expected, that would mean the Knicks would be without their top two scorers. The Knicks already rank as the second-worst scoring team in the league. Losing Randle and Morris is a sure way to make sure the offense is stagnant.
A lot of the load offensively will be put on RJ Barrett. The rookie is averaging just 13.8 points per game on under 40% shooting from the field. Asking him to carry an offense at this stage seems foolhardy.
That said, Barrett was excellent against the Lakers and Clippers during this past road trip. He’s also much better at home, averaging 16.1 points of 44.1% shooting at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks are set to play the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, who are still without first overall pick Zion Williamson while the much-hyped rookie recovers from preseason knee surgery.
The Pelicans have the third-worst scoring defense in the NBA. Despite unfortunate injuries and absences for the Knicks, they have a chance to secure a win against a porous defense without their best defender. Jrue Holiday will miss the game with a left elbow tricep strain.
Tip-off is set for 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
