The stuttering New York Knicks need a true Christmas miracle. Here are some extra special presents that I hope the team receives under their Christmas tree this year, wrapped especially by the Basketball Gods to keep Thibodeau, Randle, Barrett, and the rest of the Knickerbockers happy for 2022.
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– Karan Madhok / @karanmadhok1
The disarray continues. The ‘Grinch’ from western traditions came to ‘steal Christmas’, but instead, stole the talent and cohesion of my beloved New York Knicks instead. The abyss is here. BING BONG is dead and gone. Long live BING BONG! Knicks Sadness is officially back in town, dampening the starry glow atop every Christmas tree.
After an eye-popping 5-1 start to the season, during which the team even briefly sat atop the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have been in freefall. Since November, the team has gone 9-16, to drop to 14-17 for the season. They stand at the bottom of the Atlantic Division and 12th place in the conference, now outside the playoff play-in picture.
It’s been almost a ‘Murphy’s Law’ of tragedies: everything that can go wrong, has gone wrong. Kemba Walker’s dramatic homecoming to New York City has fallen somewhat flat. His offense is erratic, his defense downright abysmal, and his plus-minus for the season at a horrific -117. Coach Tom Thibodeau felt that Walker was such a bad fit for his unit that he (mostly) pulled him from the Knicks’ rotation earlier this month – until the COVID-related absences boosted him back to the starting five.
That starting lineup, in general, has been atrocious. Now, the starting unit ranks 26th in the league in plus-minus. Part of the reason has been the turmoil of injuries and COVID-protocol absences, the affected players including young guns RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin.
But that is not a real excuse; every team is suffering from COVID-related absences. Just ask the previously high-flying Chicago Bulls. No, the Knicks are suffering from a deeper malaise, a loss of culture, identity, and leadership, which had made them one of the best stories in the NBA last season.
The rot starts at the top, with mismanagement of rotations by Coach Thibodeau and a truly underwhelming performance so far by reigning All-Star Julius Randle. The infestation spreads further, to the poor shooting of Barrett, the ineffectual play of Evan Fournier, and the defensive inconsistencies of just about everyone.
The biggest let-down has been the defense. Last season, Thibodeau inspired the team to be top four in this department. No matter how the team performed in other aspects of the game, this defensive effort ensured that night after night, the Knicks were a brutal opponent, making even the toughest rivals sweat extra hard for their points. This defensive consistency also ensured that the Knicks hardly had any bad nights, and eventually finished fourth in the Eastern Conference.
This year, however, roster changes and a slipping effort from the incumbent players in the rotation has seen the team’s defensive rating drop to 23rd in the league—an embarrassing low for a part of the game that Thibodeau considers to be his calling card.
So, what now?
In the larger scheme of the sports world in North America, the NBA’s calendar truly takes off in Christmas Day, when the league packs a series of marquee matchups. The Knicks will tip off the Christmas festivities with a rematch against the Atlanta Hawks, the squad who slew them comfortably in the 2021 playoffs.
While the Hawks have some of their own kinks to worry about, they are sure to give New York a run for their money. This game is going to shift the spotlight on the Knicks’ campaign so far this season—and could be a tipping point from where the team goes forward from here.
What the Knicks need, thus, is a true Christmas miracle, the type of Ebenezer Scrooge was delivered in A Christmas Carol, unlikely heroism like Kevin McCallister was able to conjure (twice) in the Home Alone movies.
They need extra special presents underneath their metaphorical Christmas trees this year, wrapped especially by the Basketball Gods to keep Thibs, Randle, Barrett, and the rest of the Knickerbockers happy for 2022.
#1 The Knicks need a defensive reawakening
One of the oft-repeated basketball cliches is that true defensive greatness can be achieved through the right effort, attitude, and intelligence. Of course, the Knicks lost a couple of good defenders in Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock over the offseason, but their bigger concern has been lackadaisical effort by their returning players like Randle or Barrett. Too many Knickerbockers have been complete sieves on that end of the floor—including Walker, Fournier, Rose, and Quickley.
Without a top-seven defense, the Knicks can say goodbye to any chance of having a comfortable playoff position. The effort has to start from the top—Randle—and trickle down to the other rotation players. The bigger question is, will the Knicks make any major trades to bring back the defensive balance they’re lacking this season?
#2 A Miracle Trade
The Evan Fournier experiment has generally been a failure on both ends of the floor, and rumours are that the Knicks are exploring trades for the swingman. But what value does he have left to help acquire a quality starter in return? Or will he be used in a package deal (with Walker and others) to acquire a star player? Either way, there is no simple single-step to cure the Knicks’ issues; it will take true ingenuity to pull off a trade midseason that can really provide the team a boost.
#3 May the real Julius Randle please stand up
Last season, Randle was the center of the Knicks’ offensive gravity, shooting and creating with remarkable efficiency, and providing memorable heroics to carry the team to big wins. Now, he seems a poor imitation of his former self; not Julius Randle per se, but a bootleg impersonation of him. After averaging 24.1 ppg on 45.6 percent shooting last season, Randle is down to 19.6 ppg and only 42 percent of his shots made in 2021-22. He is looking less like last year’s Most Improved Player, and more like the inconsistent younger player he was in the few seasons earlier. The attention that Randle got in the playoffs seemed to have rattled his confidence; it is his responsibility to conjure up last season’s swagger again.
#4 A new year, a new version of Thibodeau
It’s no secret that Tom Thibodeau is one of the most respected coaches in the league, with the ability to transform franchises from terrible to average, and average to good. But one of Thibs’ major weaknesses is his overreliance on his starters, a habit that often sees the majority of minutes handed out to just a handful of the team best players.
This philosophy has been especially frustrating this season, where the effort of the team’s bench mob has been especially commendable, and many of the younger players have performed well enough to earn a larger share of playing time.
My hope is that, with the new year, Thibodeau has a refreshed outlook on life, where he rests Randle and Barrett a little more and distributes more time to the high-performing players of the bench, including Toppin, Quickley, Rose, and rising rookie Miles McBride.
#5 Health, COVID, Availability
This is a Christmas wish that damn near every NBA team will be making to Santa. With COVID cases raging and protocols emptying half the rosters around the league, the Knicks—and most other squads—will be hoping that this wave passes and their core players can return to the lineup as soon as possible.
It might seem obvious, but nothing determines NBA success more than health; and the Knicks could use all the good fortune going forward in the medical department.
A larger uncertainty looms over the league going forward, with so many postponements and the spread of the new COVID variant. The whole league—well, the whole world—could use some special miracles. Hopefully, some of those blessings fall upon the Knicks, too.
Big Questions from Around the NBA
– Are the Phoenix Suns for real, again? Many assumed that their road to the Finals last season was paved with bad injury luck to their opponents. But the Suns are back on top again, holding one of the best records in the league and displaying a dangerous mix of depth and balance. Perhaps another stellar post-season performance will silence the doubters for good.
– Is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ start sustainable? One of the best stories of this season has been the young Cavs, currently standing third in the East led by their core of Darius Garland, rookie Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, new addition Lauri Markkanen, and more. But in a loaded Eastern Conference, is this core enough to keep this team (currently 19-12) in the playoff picture?
– The MVP race heats up. Kevin Durant is playing like the Achilles injury was simply a minor gash. Stephen Curry is breaking scoring and shooting records with a mere shimmy of his shoulders. Giannis Antetokounmpo, when available, is playing with the unstoppable afterglow of his Finals’ triumph. And Nikola Jokic, unbelievably, is posting advanced numbers even better than his MVP season last year. It’s going to an exciting race between these contenders and more all season. Will anyone create real separation from the pack?
