As the Knicks prepare for their stretch run out of the All-Star break, plenty of attention will be paid toward the team’s plan for the immediate and long-term future.
Fifty nine games into the season, New York is currently 12th in the Eastern Conference and 3.5 games back of the final play-in spot, so the team could see itself as a late run away from sneaking into the playoffs, similar to the run it went on down the stretch last season. The team believes it can find the surprising success it enjoyed last year, especially with RJ Barrett and Derrick Rose soon to return from injury, along with Julius Randle starting to play more like his last season self of late.
But given the team’s brutal upcoming schedule and recent poor play, the Knicks could also take time to give more minutes to their younger players, something a large portion of the fanbase has demanded for months. The front office reportedly wanted the same, shopping some of its veteran players before the trade deadline to make room for the team’s younger core to see more playing time, including Cam Reddish, who hasn’t played more than 20 minutes in a game since he was acquired via trade last month.
But when asked about the team’s direction moving forward into the rest of the season, and if more youth could be on display, head coach Tom Thibodeau responded by saying that the team is already plenty young in terms of who he plays.
“I think that’s what people lose sight of,” Thibodeau said. “They forget how young Mitchell [Robinson] is. They forget how young RJ [Barrett] is. RJ just had the best month of his career. They forget how young Obi [Toppin] is. Quentin Grimes is starting as a rookie…Julius [Randle] is young. The priority is everyone’s development.”
Randle, 27, and Barrett, 21, have logged some of the heaviest workloads in the NBA since Thibodeau took over as head coach last season, while Robinson, a month away from turning 24, has worked his way back into a consistent starter after undergoing foot surgery last year. Thibodeau has shown a willingness to play his younger players, as shown by rookie Quentin Grimes’ increased workload, but many still want to see more playing time for the sophomore Toppin, and rookie Miles McBride, who has been tearing it up in Westchester while fellow point guard Derrick Rose has been out for three months, Immanuel Quickley has struggled with his shot, and Alec Burks has struggled in his unnatural role as point guard.
Kemba Walker has now been shut down for the season, removing another veteran from the rotation. Thibodeau suggested he may still stick with Burks as a point guard, even as the starter, and reaffirmed that his young players will see time if they earn it.
“It’s not just one particular guy,” Thibodeau said. “It’s easy to lock in on one guy. You can’t keep adding guys to a rotation without taking guys out. Where do the minutes come from? There are a finite amount of minutes in a game.”
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