The New York Knicks are 6-2 since trading RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto for OG Anunoby. Anunoby has fit into the Tom Thibodeau system like a glove, and the Knicks have been beating the teams they’re supposed to beat. But yet they sit at seventh in the Eastern Conference at 23-17.
And now more than ever before, the Knicks desperately need Tom Thibodeau to stray from his old ways. Because they can only go as far as Thibodeau takes them.
Thibodeau is infamous for playing his starters heavy minutes, especially when the bench pieces are young players. It’s partially what drove Obi Toppin out of town last offseason, and why team president Leon Rose was so comfortable shipping out Barrett and Quickley.
But looking at the recent games, Thibodeau’s recipe might be to a fault. The Knicks scraped out an ugly win against a lowly Grizzlies on Saturday, which happened to be the coach’s 500th career win. In that game, Miles McBride played 38 minutes starting in place for Jalen Brunson, while fellow 2021 draftee Quentin Grimes played only 15 minutes. And on Monday afternoon, Anunoby played 44 minutes in a four-point loss to the Magic. While Grimes played only 14 minutes.
What will the Knicks look like come playoff time?
Grimes has been a name tied to more trade rumors, as the Knicks are still looking to add more depth to their roster in order to contend. Fred Katz reported that the Knicks are fielding offers for Grimes.
But this recipe is seemingly costing the Knicks their original identity that helped them make a playoff run last season. Especially with Brunson missing the last few games, and Mitchell Robinson out long term, the depth is clearly depleted. Although McBride and Isaiah Hartenstein have been bright spots in their absence.
And by no means is the Knicks core not enough to win big games, but the “next man up” mentality is needed in slugfests with contenders. This season, the Knicks are 16-0 against teams that are below .500 and 7-17 against teams that are above .500.
We’ve yet to see how the Knicks will fare moving forward, but with the play of Brunson and Julius Randle, they should be a lock for a playoff spot. How far do they go? Well that’s up to the rotations of Tom Thibodeau.
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