Recent Knicks lottery picks Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina appear to be fully out of New York’s rotation when it comes to logging meaningful minutes, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. The downside of head coach Tom Thibodeau barely using either player, even in light of swingman Alec Burks‘s recent coronavirus-mandated absence, is that neither man has been able to showcase much on-court value to garner much trade traction this offseason.
Despite the players’ limited in-game exposure, teammates have applauded their preparedness. “One thing about those guys is they’re coming in every day, they’re one of the first guys in the gym,’’ Knicks bench big man Taj Gibson said of the two former lottery picks. “At night, when I come back in at night, they’re one of the first faces I see in the gym at night. They’re always ready. They do whatever the team needs.”
“They work extremely hard,” applauded Knicks forward RJ Barrett. “I just saw Kevin out there on the court dripping in sweat getting the work in. When they’ve gotten their opportunity they’ve done extremely well.’’
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- In opting to ink undrafted rookie power forward Freddie Gillespie to a two-year contract after his two 10-day deals with the Raptors expired, the team is clearly buying low on a promising backup prospect, writes Dave Feschuck of the Toronto Star.
- The promising in-season development of rookie Raptors point guard Malachi Flynn could wind up being a factor in how the franchise evaluates the future of longtime Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry, writes Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. An unrestricted free agent in 2021, Lowry is expected to receive serious interest from contenders. Smith notes that if Flynn continues along his current growth pace heading into the 2021/22 season, the Raptors could be more comfortable moving on from Lowry. “He’s running the team better,” head coach Nick Nurse said of Flynn’s recent play. “He’s play-calling. He’s getting people organized. He’s getting off the ball. He’s getting in the paint. He’s getting to the rim. Those are all additions to the way he started out, I think.”
- Second-year Sixers wing Matisse Thybulle has played himself into consideration for inclusion on one of the league’s All-Defensive Teams, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Despite averaging just 20.0 MPG, Thybulle ranks ninth in SPG (1.59), seventh in deflections per game (3.1), and 24th in BPG (1.1). “His length, No. 1, and his ability to close reminds me a lot of [NFL cornerback] Deion Sanders,” head coach Doc Rivers raved. “Deion always gave guys cushions, and [opposing] quarterbacks never threw it because they knew if they did, somehow he would get there.”
I was hoping Knox and Ntilikina would thrive with Thibs but didn’t get a chance. I wish them great success elsewhere. Go get Beal. Knox, Ntilikina, Mitch, and 3 number ones.
Frank an RFA after this year….sub in RJ for Frank and Washington may consider
Ha NYK not dealing Mitch and RJ.
And you think Washington would for two failed lottery picks and 1 year of Mitch? $$ don’t work anyway
Think you missed the three number ones in what he proposed in addition to the players you called out.
Obi should get to choose his trade destination they owe Jim that much.
Coach on Malachi: “He’s getting off the ball.”
Meaning what?— or is it a mix-up.
Uno what was that about.
Thybulle is a really good defender, so why is Doc only giving him 20 MPG?
Because he sucks offensively…
Knox has logged 453m this year and posted a 9.3 PER and and -1.7 +/-
Frank’s logged 262m with a 7.5 PER and -3.4 +/-
Those are terrible numbers, yet they’re more or less in line with the numbers they’ve posted in previous seasons.
So there’s really nothing to Berman’s hypothesis here that with more minutes they’d “showcase” something—when each player has about 4,000 career minutes and has failed to showcase much of anything.
If they’d played more minutes the Knicks would have won fewer games and be seen as less attractive to FA and trade targets this coming offseason.
Exactly. I have absolutely no idea why anyone would defend Frank or say he hasn’t had enough chances. He’s had plenty of chances and has even started a few games this year. This is his fourth year in the league and all he’s done is exhibit G League talent and a complete failure to improve.
Knox has played plenty, too, and he’s shown he’s not very good, either. Some lottery picks just don’t pan out and unfortunately, Frank and Knox are two of them.
Knox is awful and seems lost when he’s on the court. Bad decisions, bad shots, etc. it’s a shame cause I had hoped he would’ve worked out. Frank is a solid defender, but offensively he’s not close. I was hoping he’d develop into a Michael Cooper offensively, but he’s more Michael Scott.
While it’s possible that Frank and Knox would be more valued in the market if they played more, I doubt it (and it could be the reverse).
In any event, giving out PT on that basis, or even in the hopes it might improve the player for the home team, is really among the most inefficient uses of PT imaginable. The Fizdale approach of handing out PT unearned, and without roles or accountability, doesn’t even facilitate the individual player’s development, and is toxic to team development. It’s how a team losses 65 games and the best thing that can be said about their young players is that, well, they’re still young.