{"id":46129,"date":"2022-03-04T17:03:40","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T22:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=46129"},"modified":"2022-03-04T17:03:40","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T22:03:40","slug":"bing-bong-more-like-ping-pong-the-new-york-knicks-are-lottery-bound-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2022\/03\/04\/bing-bong-more-like-ping-pong-the-new-york-knicks-are-lottery-bound-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Bing Bong? More like Ping Pong for the New York Knicks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Knicks\u2019 2021-22 campaign started with a bang – or more notably – a BING BONG. They beat the Boston Celtics in a thrilling double-overtime game in front of 20,000 rabid Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden on opening night. Julius Randle<\/a><\/strong> led the Knicks to victory with 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After the game, <\/span>this was the scene outside of MSG<\/span><\/a>. The Knicks were back. Knicks fans were soaring with excitement. The Knicks would cruise to a 5-1 record to begin the year. \u201cBING BONG\u201d was seared into the NYC Zeitgeist. By all accounts, the Knicks appeared poised to build on their success from last season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Things have since taken a sharp turn in the opposite direction. They’ve lost 9 of their last 10 games and currently sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 25-37. With 20 games remaining in the regular season, they\u2019re 4 games out of qualifying for the play-in tournament. The East is far deeper this season than it was a year ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bing Bong. The Knicks\u2019 playoff hopes appear to be dead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bing Bong? More like Ping Pong. The New York Knicks Are Lottery Bound Again.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

How We Got Here<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Last year during the NBA\u2019s shortened 72-game regular season the New York Knicks finished 4th<\/a> in the Eastern Conference with a 41-31 record. They secured their first playoff birth in 8 seasons and only their third top-4 seed in 21 seasons. Despite an ugly 4-1 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, Knicks nation embraced a resurgence of optimism. After sweeping changes to their front office and the emergence of Julius Randle as the NBA\u2019s most improved player, the Knicks appeared to be poised for another playoff run this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Knicks made only a few minor <\/span>roster adjustments<\/span><\/a> in the offseason. Evan Fournier<\/a> <\/strong>signed as a free agent to replace Reggie<\/strong> Bullock<\/strong><\/a> on the wing. Kemba Walker<\/a> was brought in on a <\/span>relatively team-friendly deal<\/span><\/a> to bolster the Knicks\u2019 backcourt. Randle signed a 3-year extension with a 4th-year player option.<\/span><\/p>\n

The plan seemed straightforward. Bring back the core from a season ago and build on last year\u2019s success. So what went wrong?<\/span><\/p>\n

Higher Expectations + Better Opposition<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Knicks haven\u2019t won an NBA Championship since 1972. The last time the Knicks made the NBA Finals was 1999 – when the San Antonio Spurs demolished them 4-1. Last season was a wild ride. It\u2019s exciting when the Knicks are good. It\u2019s even good for the NBA on the whole. This bing bong thing is fun! But is it possible our expectations for the Knicks season year were <\/span>too <\/span><\/i>high, especially in a loaded Eastern Conference?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their success last season was an actual statistical anomaly – specifically Julius Randle\u2019s \u2018breakout\u2019 season. We don\u2019t even need to get into <\/span>advanced metrics<\/span><\/a> to realize this (although they\u2019re equally as telling).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Julius Randle Is Who We Thought He Was<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Usually, by the time a player is 26 years old, we have a pretty good idea of who they are and who they can become. Last season Randle played a career-high 38 minutes a game and his efficiencies ballooned. For a player entering his 7th season, this combination of higher usage + higher efficiencies is a rarity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Randle has averaged 17.6 points per game during his 7-year career. Last season he scored 24 ppg. This year he\u2019s hovering around 20 per game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Randle is a career 33% shooter from the 3-point line. Last season he shot 41%! If you remove last year\u2019s number from his career average he\u2019d be at 28%. This season he\u2019s shooting 30% from 3.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Same for free throws. Randle for his career shoots 74% from the stripe. Last season he shot 81%. This year he\u2019s back to 76%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a sense, Randle has simply regressed to the mean. This season he\u2019s performing at an even higher level than many of his career numbers – just nowhere near last year\u2019s totals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New York Knicks Backcourt Issues<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Most of the NBA\u2019s top teams have their point guard position shored up. It makes sense to invest in the position through which your offense will flow, right?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Knicks re-signed 32-year-old point guard Derrick Rose<\/strong><\/a> (he\u2019s 33 now) to a 3-year deal at about $14 million per season in the offseason. Kemba Walker signed for 2 years at $9 million per season. He\u2019s 31. Both have a long history of debilitating lower-body injuries. Of the 62 games the Knicks have played this season, Rose has appeared in only 26 of them, Kemba in 37 – mostly in a reserve role before being shut down for the remainder of the season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s first-round pick Immanuel Quickley<\/strong><\/a> hasn\u2019t been given consistent minutes by coach Tom Thibodeau. Rookie first-round guard Quentin Grimes<\/strong><\/a> showed promise in limited minutes before going down with a knee injury. Second-round rookie guard Miles McBride<\/a><\/strong> has barely seen the floor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instability in the backcourt has forced Randle, Fournier, and Alec Burks<\/strong><\/a> to play the role of primary ball-handler far more frequently than they should be. Should we be surprised by the results?<\/span><\/p>\n

Wait, There\u2019s Good News<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Well, sort of.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This season is lost, but the Knicks have a reasonable amount of flexibility moving forward, unlike for much of the last decade. They own all of their future first-round picks in addition to the Dallas Mavericks\u2019 pick in 2023.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Randle is 27 and his contract extension is consummate with his performance this season. The Knicks didn\u2019t have to offer him the supermax. He\u2019s not a superstar, but he\u2019s the best veteran piece the Knicks have had to build around since Carmelo Anthony<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And remember – he\u2019s not being paid like a superstar. Not anywhere close.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RJ Barrett<\/a><\/strong> has taken a leap in his 3rd NBA season. He and Randle form a solid foundation for the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

PING PONG. All Eyes on the Draft Lottery for New York Knicks<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Knicks find themself in a familiar position approaching this year\u2019s lottery. Maybe this was the plan all along for this season and we\u2019ve been too blinded by the taste of last year\u2019s flukey success to realize that there <\/span>is <\/span><\/i>a plan. If the ping pong balls bounce their way, they\u2019ll likely have their 6th top-10 pick in the last 7 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Knicks have <\/span>not <\/span><\/i>taken advantage of their draft position in recent years. Most recently in 2020, the Knicks selected Obi Toppin<\/strong><\/a> #8 overall over Tyrese Haliburton<\/strong><\/a>, one of the league\u2019s best young point guards and a player who would certainly have filled their void in the backcourt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Except for selecting Kristaps Porzingis<\/a><\/strong> 4th overall in 2015 and Barrett 3rd overall in 2019, the Knicks have used high draft picks on players who have failed to develop into meaningful roster pieces. Worse, there\u2019s a long list of players they\u2019ve passed on who <\/span>have<\/span><\/i> developed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The forthcoming draft lottery will have significant implications on the Knicks’ future. Maybe this time they’ll land a top pick <\/span>and <\/span><\/i>use it wisely.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Grab your paddles. It’s time for some ping pong.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>