The Knicks lost again on Saturday night.
That shouldn't be surprising, considering New York has lost more games this century than any other team in the league. It was the Knicks' third straight loss and their 32nd this season, dropping them 21 games under .500. However, even for a fanbase accustomed to failure, what made this particular defeat, along with other recent losses, tough to stomach was that there was very little positive to pull from the rubish. Typically, when NBA teams find themselves near the bottom of the standings, there is a plan in place and light at the end of the tunnel.
Consider the only two teams with a worse record than the Knicks this season, the Hawks and Warriors. Atlanta is scuffling, but clearly have their foundation in place, with sensational sophomore PG Trae Young, and bouncy big John Collins, flanked by Kevin Huerter, De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish. Those five players lead the Hawks in nearly all relevant statistical categories this season, including minutes per game. Out in Golden State, the Warriors, who advanced to the Finals each of the last five years and captured three championships in the process, have been decimated by injuries. Still, D'Angelo Russell has continued the upward arc of his career this year, and Golden State will add a high lottery pick to a core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Russell next season.
As for the Knicks, well, it's safe to say the future isn't nearly as bright or predictable. What exactly is the plan for the rest of this 2020 and beyond?
The Knicks’ roster is relatively young, with a handful of promising pieces. However, you might not know that if you have watched them recently.
New York has seven players on their roster that are 25 years of age or older. In Saturday's loss to the Sixers, five of those seven players were installed as starters. With rookie RJ Barrett sidelined by a sprained ankle, might one of the Knicks’ other recent lottery picks be asked to step in and step up? Nope. 28-year-old Reggie Bullock, who has a non-guaranteed contract for next season, started at shooting guard.
30-year-old Marcus Morris led the team in minutes and FG attempts vs. Philadelphia. Bullock, Morris, Elfrid Payton and Taj Gibson (34 years of age) each logged more than 24 minutes.
Meanwhile, Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina and Allonzo Trier all saw fewer than 17 minutes of action. Damyean Dotson, who led the team in 3-point makes as a sophomore last season, was a DNP-CD. As was Ignas Brazdeikis, a 2019 second-round selection who opened some eyes with his impressive play at the Las Vegas Summer League back in July.
Mitchell Robinson, the uber-talented 21-year old center who is leading the entire league in FG% and has First-Team All-Defense upside, again split minutes in the middle with Gibson (who had twice as many FG attempts). Mitch Rob has yet to log more than 30 minutes in a game this entire season, after averaging 32.2 minutes a night over the final month of his rookie campaign.
All told, Morris, Bullock, Payton and Gibson played a combined 161 minutes and attempted 63 shots Saturday night. Knox, Robinson, Trier, Damyean Dotson and Brazdeikis logged a combined 49 minutes and took 14 shots.
And Saturday's game was not an isolated event. Morris, who is having a career year, leads the team in scoring. This month, Payton is averaging 28 minutes a night. Bullock has logged at least 24 minutes in each of his last seven appearances and is averaging over 10 FG attempts per game. Dating back to Christmas, Knox is seeing just 17 minutes a night and averaging fewer than six shots per game. Dotson has been bounced in and out of the rotation. Trier, who averaged 14.5 points per game over the second half of 2018-19 and started on opening night this season, has appeared in less than half the team's games in 2019-20.
Brazdeikis has yet to set foot on the floor this season in a non-garbage time situation. Look, it's entirely possible that Iggy isn't an NBA-caliber player. But it's time to find out, one way or another. As far as Dotson is concerned, the Knicks have to make a decision on his future this summer, as he will hit free agency in July. He is actually the one player on the Knicks’ current roster that meets the criteria making him eligible for an in-season extension. Is that something the front office has considered?
Knox has disappointingly taken a step back this season, but it's hard to envision him making marked improvement in sporadic minutes off the bench over these final three months.
New York recently signed high-flying Kenny Wooten to a two-way contract. Will we get a look at him down the stretch?
At the start of the year, when the Knicks’ front office was promoting this team, and the newly signed veterans, as a squad that would restore a winning culture, that sort of minutes disruption was somewhat palatable. However, we are more than halfway through the season. If the team is going to lose night after night anyway, the youngsters should be getting valuable reps during these losses.
Yet, the overarching concerning issue is that the team's hierarchy and decision-makers are not necessarily incentivized to make the team's longterm health a top priority.
For instance, consider interim head coach Mike Miller. He's a smart man and is well aware that this will likely be his last, and only, chance to prove he's a quality NBA head coach. Mike Breen has told the story on the air about how, before replacing David Fizdale, Miller rode in the front of the bus to away games to make sure the bus driver didn't fall asleep. Now he's flying first class in private jets. It's understandable human nature that he badly wants to close out the year winning as many games as possible.
As for president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry, they entered 2019-20 promising progress. Their jobs may be on the line as well, and it's safe to assume they want to be able to enter owner Jim Dolan's office in April boasting an improved record over the second half of the season. Are their motives aligned with what's best for the organization down the road?
It's for these reasons, and others, why it's imperative that New York trades away Marcus Morris, and any other veterans that draw interest, prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Not only would they add assets that they would profit from in the future, but such deals would also provide immediate benefits by opening up playing time for their younger players.
It's time to turn the page.
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