Talented second-year Knicks players Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley are striving to grow through their limited minutes allocations, writes Greg Joyce of the New York Post.
“It’s continual, doesn’t end,” coach Tom Thibodeau said of the young Knicks’ development. “You look at the season in totality, so at the end of the year, that’s when you make a judgment on how the season went… They’re making progress, [but] there’s still a long way to go.”
In 15.1 MPG, Toppin is averaging 7.3 PPG and 3.6 RPG on .510/.233/.744 shooting splits. Across 21.3 MPG, Quickley is averaging 9.2 PPG, 3.0 APG and 2.2 RPG.
There’s more out of the Mecca:
- Quickley is grappling with a shooting slump that could be impacting his rotation minutes. Steve Popper of Newsday notes that Quickley averaged 38.9% on 4.7 three-point attempts per game as a rookie. This season, his shooting has slipped to 32.2% on 4.8 triples a night. “He’s a diligent worker,” Tom Thibodeau observed. “He’s in morning, noon and night shooting. Just got to stay with it, keep continuing to groove your shot, it’ll come back around. It’s part of it.”
- After Knicks wing RJ Barrett suffered an ankle sprain during the end of a 132-115 blowout loss to the Nuggets last week, head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s decision to leave him on the court late is being questioned, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “You don’t work backwards,” Thibodeau said. “There’s different points. You look at the score and the time. And if you make a run, then you take a shot at it. So that’s what we did.”
- As Knicks power forward Julius Randle improves his on-court performance for New York, he is also helping build up his trade value, per Ian O’Connor of the New York Post. The 25-33 Knicks may see their play-in chances fade away this year, but at least the 27-year-old Randle, who averaged 29.2 PPG, 12.8 RPG and 6.2 APG during the club’s recent 1-4 road trip, is reminding prospective trade partners of his abilities as a player.
Oklahoma City’s teenage, 6-foot-8 rookie guard is setting a new standard for young success.
The No. 6 overall pick of the 2021 Draft amassed a career-high 28 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in the Thunder’s overtime win at New York on Monday. In the process, Giddey became the youngest player in NBA history to register consecutive triple-doubles after similarly filling the stat sheet Saturday in a narrow loss to Chicago.
Giddey’s performance was fitting in his Madison Square Garden debut. He became just the fourth player in league history to log a triple-double in his first appearance at New York’s famed arena.
Trade Randle ……. Keep getting that value up.
Giddey is a real PG. With his size. He’s got a big career ahead of him. Media and internet made a big deal of Ball being youngest to triple double. And yet Giddey just jumped him. And it’s quite as crickets. 6th pick. That’s how you build. You own the draft.
Ball gets clicks. No one knows who Giddey is other than people in OKC and hoops nerds like us.
Agreed though, he can hoop.
Writers and sports writers should. That’s my point. Shows you how much regular folks like us can now.
I’ll admit I was wrong about Giddey. I just didn’t know enough about him to know he could even be this good this fast.
I thought he’d be a decent wing that could put up 10-14 along with 5reb and 5ast, but he’d struggle to really score on his own and with his shot..
I’m glad to say I was wrong, because watching this kid blossom is a thing of beauty. I didn’t particularly like it because it was against my beloved Bulls lol, but I still could not help but enjoy watching a young player reach his potential..
Good for him and good for OKC!! They keep nailing picks, and they’ll be back in it in no time..
Warriors told Giddey agent, they planned to pick Giddey if he’s still available at 7.
Knicks are a complete mess.
It’s time to look at the draft. Move Randle at draft. Top 20 has plenty talent.
top 20 based on what? he’s 49th in PIE playing in one of the worst teams in the league and with one of the highest USG% among Cs and he’s owed 100 million over the next 3 years.
he’s out of top50 in both EFG% and TS% among centers (he’s actually last in the former, 96th/100 in the latter)
only a couple of teams would trade for such a player (ie kings, pelicans)
once again knicks fans overrating their players
I doubt you understand what you write. Who cares about Randle. I’m talking about the draft. A player who is currently putting up 28 and 10. Will always draw interest. Frankly I don’t care what we get for him. But it will be at least a1st rd pick.
It shouldn’t be hard to understand what I’m saying even for a Knicks fan. I misunderstood the top 20 of the draft as Randle being top 20 in the league. Nevertheless everything I said still stands, you are overrating him. I doubt you get a lottery pick for him, maybe late 1st and only for a histocialy bad fo like the kings.
He’s not putting in 28/10 but 19/10 and with very bad efficiency for a center. He turns the ball over at a worse rate than he’s rebounding or blocking. Only bright spot is his assists.
Yes so… a center? Rarely plays there. Should be on the run.
You don’t really think I don’t know my teams players n stats.. Really
Won’t matter who they draft if Thibs is still the coach. He’ll glue the rookie to the bench like he does Toppin
worst coach to develop young players, they will end up traded like knox did..
Knox that’s your example?? Granted Knicks did mess him up. But Thibs had nothing to do with it. Truth is Thibs better start playing the young guys. Cause now there is no one else. And in NY you are always on the clock.
Thibs never liked rookies and young players with the Bulls. And Knicks already don’t have a Greta track track record with young players (ntikikina, Knox) so it’s a match made in hell
It was never that Thibs just flat out didnt like or play rookies nor younger players during his Bulls stint. He just never gave any rookie nor young player a spot in the rotation solely because their potential nor where they were drafted.
Thibs made all his players earn their playing time, and that was mostly by earning their stripes on the defensive end of the game.
Thibs does get stubborn with his ways at times, and that will always hinder his abilities as a head coach, but if a rookie or young player comes in and is playing especially tough defensively, he’s going to give that player the minutes he feels they’ve earned, at the least.
Yeah I get that. We all know the past lol. But he came here for a Rebuild. Knicks are rebuilding. What you think Thibs thinks he can make a contender in two yrs. With draft picks and young players. Rose is here for one reason. For the rebuild. That’s how you attract decent FA.
This is a play-in roster at best and Thibs can’t even get them THERE. I’m surprised no one is talking about him being canned after collapsing to a short handed OKC team.
I wouldn’t have been shocked to have woken up today and read that he had been fired.
Papers are starting to in NY. His loyalty is going to bring him down. This should be about the rebuild first. We weren’t going anywhere this yr anyway.
Agreed.
What he did with RJ’s ankle he did with Robinson last night. The guy was hobbling and Thibs called a timeout and left him in the game! The guy could barely make it up the court! I know it was all but over but there’s no way a busted Robinson is better than a healthy Toppin. Plus he could have injured himself worse.
Thibs has no consideration of player health. Just grind the starters to pulp then move on.
I saw that too lol. Robinson should not be playing. I don’t think his ankle has ever healed. If you watch him. His movement is off. And he’s lost his quick jump. That’s Thibs panicking to me.
I think Thibs is confused… their growth is stunted. This season is wasted if he doesnt start playing the yutes.
Knicks need to do a better job at evaluating talent
Obi Toppin > Tyrese Haliburton, mistake
Immanuel Quickly > Desmond Bane, mistake
Quinton Grimes > Bones Hylamd, looking like a mistake
Kevin Knox + Frank > you name it.
Knicks need to do a better job of evaluating young talent.
Captain hindsight
Once is an occurrence, almost all of their picks in the past decade being questionable at best might show a lack of foresight in the FO.
– Frank over Spida
– Knox over either M. Bridges, Shai G, or MPJ (this one is prob the most understandable – but it’s 4 opts while Knox was the pick…then traded away on his rookie deal)
– Toppin over Hali or even Vassell (or — if you’re committing to Toppin, what’s up with the Randle extension beginning of the next season? If there is even a modicum of reasoning for a Randle extension…why not take best available guard in ’20? Or was the decision to extend him last minute af? Why? An outlier season? What are we doin here?)
– I’ll cosign the “what’s up with Quick over Desmond?” if you wanted shooting at that spot. Seems like Grimes was picked equally for his defense as much as the outside shot.
There’s more. But the draft decisions just seem….consistently “off”.
Knick FO hasn’t had the year hoped for, but there’s no indication (yet) that they’re now comprised of 2k’ers or NY sports writers. Unless that changes, Thibs is staying (despite his imagined offenses). Sorry, but the “decision” to leave Barrett on the court is NOT being questioned (by anyone that matters). Rotational changes should be in order after the break, but there isn’t enough PT to go around. It can’t be decided by age alone. Fortunately nobody (other the Barrett and Grimes) has earned much PT on the perimeter. Still, who’s benched and/or gets a substantial minute cut? IQ needs to be taken off PG, but not benched. McBride/ Rose at PG eventually. A top 10 draft slot would be nice, but hard to pursue.
The knock on Thibs has always been his managing of player minutes trying to win regular season games see Rose, Butler etc.. He’s run certain guys into the ground trying to win basically meaningless regular season games versus having his team ready and healthy for playoff time. Of course it looks like they won’t make it this year without a massive win streak so look for the legend to grow down the stretch as Thibs tries to grind out some wins. His failing has been he’s a short window guy not interested in the big picture, Then the player rumblings start. As for Randle’s trade value, There will be a market for him because of his stats, But a team that values cohesion probably won’t be interested. But, as Barnum said, There’s a sucker born every minute, and every 3o seconds it seems in todays NBA.
Thibs is an overrated coach. Knicks should fire him.
Thibs knew what he was getting into. I’ll admit old habits are hard to give up. That’s why Rose is here. Knicks have messed it up. In every way possible the last 20 yrs. That’s why this Rebuild has to be seen Thru. It’s that simple. It’s not about Thibs or Randle. It’s about RJ and the youth.
Thibs can’t coach without D Rose it seems, and he has lost so many games with leads in the 4th quarter. He has no handle…on this Knicks squad.
Nobody wants Randle with that contract now. Knicks need to swallow their mistake and hope they can quickly reboot around him. I don’t see a team in the NBA that wants Randle at this very moment or in the offseason, not only based on how play on the court but the way he’s handled himself off the court with fans and media. He’s not going anywhere. Sorry to say it.
They needed to trade Fournier if he gets injured they’ll be stuck with him for 4 years