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Knicks Notes: Brunson, Quickley, Gibson, Randle

December 16th, 2023 at 9:38am CST by Tristan Tucker

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson‘s three-point shot is the key to New York’s ability to win games, writes the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. Overall, Brunson is shooting a career-best 46.0% on 6.8 attempts per night from beyond the arc. When the Knicks win, Brunson shoots 57.4% from deep, but when they lose, he shoots just 27.4%.

Bondy breaks down what Brunson’s threes have looked like this season in victories and defeats. Generally, entering Thursday, Brunson was getting more open looks in wins than in losses, including 37% of his threes in wins being “wide open” (compared to 32% in losses).

Like clockwork, Brunson had a historic night from downtown in a 17-point victory against the Suns on Friday. Brunson scored a career-high 50 points in the win, 35 of which came in the second half, where he shot 12-for-12 from the floor and 8-for-8 from three-point range in the period.

Brunson’s overall 9-for-9 performance from three tied the NBA record for the most three-point attempts in a game without a miss (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Fred Katz). Latrell Sprewell did it for the Knicks in 2003.

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Immanuel Quickley returned from a brief injury absence on Dec. 13, playing just 18 minutes against Utah as Tom Thibodeau continues to navigate his guard rotation. He wasn’t concerned about the lack of minutes, writes Bondy. “Just whatever minutes you get, go out there and be effective,” Quickley said. “Whatever minutes I get — whether 15, 20, 25. I played 55 [in an overtime game] last season. Whatever minutes I get, go out there and help the team win.“
The Knicks are happy to have veteran big man Taj Gibson back in the fold after signing him on Friday. Gibson, 38, spent three seasons with the Knicks before joining the Wizards last year. With Mitchell Robinson sidelined due to injury, it made sense for Gibson to come back, writes Newsday’s Steve Popper. Gibson also spoke about his future upon arriving with the Knicks. “I’m still considering [coaching],” Gibson said. “But it has to be the right situation. I want to be somewhere where I can learn, brighten my future. This is a bright spot for me, being around the coaching staff who I can learn from. Just top to bottom, this is just family for me.“
After a sluggish start to the season that saw him shoot just 31.6% from the field and average 16.5 points per game, Julius Randle has improved his efficiency and turned his season around, writes Bondy in a separate story. Randle’s stated goal before the season was to become a more efficient player, which didn’t seem likely after his start to the year, but he’s shooting 60.0% from the floor and 41.2% from three over the last eight games while averaging 28.0 PPG. “Just playing to my strengths and understanding spots on the court where I can get high-percentage shots where I can either get a high-percentage shot or they double me and I can kick out and play-make for my teammates,” Randle said. “So I understand who I am as a player. While I can shoot the ball and make a ton of 3s, I understand who I am as a player, what my strengths are.“

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Brunson, DiVincenzo, Trade Options

December 11th, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has been ruled out for tonight’s game with inflammation in his left ankle and will undergo further testing, writes Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. Robinson injured the ankle in the first half Friday at Boston. He had an X-ray – which was negative, according to coach Tom Thibodeau – and was able to play five minutes in the third quarter before sitting out the rest of the game.

Thibodeau didn’t provide any details on the upcoming tests for Robinson and declined to estimate how much time he might miss. “Until we get the report, it’s just speculation,” Thibodeau told reporters.

Robinson posted a message about the injury on Snapchat (Twitter link from New York Basketball), writing, “Been battling stuff my whole life; some days I feel like I take 10 steps ahead, and others feel like I took 20 steps back; even when I do what I’m supposed to god throws these battles at me that feel like they’re unbeatable no matter what I do I know. I shouldn’t be letting this stuff get to my mental but over time it just takes over. Always going to be an uphill battle.”

Injuries have plagued Robinson throughout his career, Sanchez points out, as he has managed to play 72 games only once in his six years in the NBA. He was limited to 59 appearances last season, missing two and a half weeks with a knee injury in November and then undergoing surgery on a fractured right thumb in January, which kept him out for 14 games.

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The outlook is more positive for Jalen Brunson, who suffered an ankle sprain late in Friday’s game and limped off the court, Sanchez adds. Brunson made an appearance Saturday at a Villanova game and appeared to be walking normally. He was able to practice Sunday and Thibodeau expects him to play tonight, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Donte DiVincenzo saw a reduced role in the offense as he moved into the starting lineup Friday night, Sanchez adds in a separate story. Spending more time on the court with ball-dominant teammates, DiVincenzo took just six shots and scored six points in 22 minutes. “I didn’t really feel a difference to be honest with you,” he said. “I’m just a basketball player. Put me with any lineup, I’m gonna be me. I’m gonna cut, I’m gonna shoot some shots, I’m gonna play defense. No matter what unit I’m with, that’s who I am and what I’m going to continue to be.”
There was a lot of talk in the national media this week about the Knicks’ need for a star player, but Steve Popper of Newsday doesn’t believe anyone who might currently be available would make a difference. He questions how Chicago’s Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan or even Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns would get their normal usage rate with the current roster in New York.

New York Notes: Brunson, Grimes, Barrett, Sharpe, Simmons

December 9th, 2023 at 8:29am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks made a lineup change by choice on Friday. They may need to make another out of necessity.

Jalen Brunson turned his ankle in the final minute of the Knicks’ 10-point loss to Boston when he stepped back with his left foot and landed on Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, according to The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.

The game was already decided but coach Tom Thibodeau said he didn’t regret having starters on the court at the time. No details emerged after the game about the severity of Brunson’s injury.

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Quentin Grimes had 13 points in 19 minutes after being replaced in the lineup by Donte DiVincenzo, who was limited to six points in 22 minutes. Grimes believes, after meeting with Thibodeau, that coming off the bench could be the best thing for him, Bondy writes. “He kind of let me know to try to get me a better rhythm, get me in a better flow, try to get me how I was playing last year,” Grimes said. “He felt like it was the best thing to do and I agree with him. It’s a good thing. I’ll definitely have the ball more, knowing I’m going to get more opportunities. It could be a better situation for me.”
RJ Barrett, responding to comment by TNT analyst Kenny Smith that the Knicks never have the best player of the court when facing the East’s elite, said the team doesn’t need to make a blockbuster trade. “First, we were never going to be good. Now, we’re good, and now, we’re not good enough,” Barrett said, per Bondy. “I think we do, for not having the best player, we do very well for ourselves.”
Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe had his most productive outing this season in a blowout win over Washington on Friday with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes. Sharpe, a third-year player on a rookie deal, isn’t lacking for confidence. “Nobody can really stop me on the glass, for real. Just realizing I’m a dog on the glass. I’m going to go at you every play and you’re gonna have to stop me every play,” Sharpe told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “I just know that if the big guy is gonna block it, more as likely it’s a little guy trying to box me out, and he’s ain’t gonna box me out. So you’re gonna need about three dudes to hit me, and I’m still gonna get the board then.”
Ben Simmons is feeling better after getting an epidural injection for his lower back and the Nets guard has moved to the next stage of his rehab, agent Bernie Lee told Lewis. “It definitely has helped. And just like time and progression has helped him as well,” Lee said. “He’s been doing well, slowly taking steps. He’s starting to move around a little bit now. He’s starting to be able to run on some underwater treadmill stuff. So he’s starting to get around and move.”

Injury Notes: Mobley, Embiid, Brunson, Little, O. Porter

December 8th, 2023 at 10:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley missed his first game of the 2023/24 season on Friday due to left knee soreness. The third-year forward/center also didn’t participate in the team’s shootaround, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link), who reports that Mobley could miss multiple games with the injury, though that depends on how he responds to treatment.

The Cavs’ next game is Monday in Orlando, so Mobley will have a couple more days to determine how he’s feeling, Fedor notes. Forward Dean Wade started in Mobley’s place during Friday’s victory in Miami.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Reigning MVP Joel Embiid will be reevaluated on Saturday after sustaining a left leg injury in the Sixers‘ victory over Atlanta on Friday, tweets Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Embiid grabbed at his knee after falling on a drive, Vorkunov adds, but he was able to play through it while favoring his left leg.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson sustained an injury to his lower left leg after stepping on Payton Pritchard‘s foot with 21 seconds remaining and the Knicks down 12 to Boston, per New York Basketball (Twitter video link). The team’s leading scorer was able to head to the locker room under his own power, but had a noticeable limp. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said he didn’t regret having Brunson in the game, despite the loss being all but guaranteed (Twitter link via Stefan Bondy of The New York Post). Brunson didn’t speak to the media afterward, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.
Suns wing Nassir Little took a hard fall in the first quarter of Friday’s contest vs. Sacramento and appeared to be woozy after the incident, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Little was later ruled out of the remainder of the contest, as he’s being evaluated for a concussion. He could be sidelined for multiple games if he did indeed sustain a concussion.
Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr. exited Friday’s game with a left foot contusion. As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca observes (via Twitter), that’s the same foot that caused Porter to miss most of last season after he had surgery. This injury hopefully isn’t serious, however, as X-rays were negative, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

Knicks Notes: Trade Rumors, Towns, Quickley, Grades

December 8th, 2023 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Knicks have conveyed to potential trade partners that they want to acquire a star, they don’t expect one to become available during the 2023/24 season, Fred Katz writes for The Athletic.

Katz, like Ian Begley of SNY.tv, has heard from league sources that New York hasn’t expressed any serious interest in Bulls scorers Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, who are presumably a tier or two below the level of player the Knicks would ideally like to land in any major trade. Sixers center Joel Embiid is one example of the kind of star who would interest New York’s front office, but Philadelphia’s success this season has reduced the likelihood that the Knicks will get a chance to make a play for Embiid anytime soon, Katz notes.

At this time last year, the Knicks had already been in touch with some teams to gauge Immanuel Quickley‘s potential trade value, but things have been quiet so far this season, Katz continues. Still, some people within the Knicks’ front office believe a “too-many-guys situation could be brewing,” sources tell The Athletic, so a consolidation trade at some point this season is a possibility.

Here’s more on the Knicks, including some additional trade-related chatter from Katz:

The Knicks checked in on Karl-Anthony Towns earlier this season, but didn’t make an offer for the Timberwolves big man and haven’t made a “serious run” at him in recent years, Katz writes. Towns has frequently been cited as a possible trade target for the Knicks due to his connections to executives Leon Rose (a former CAA agent) and Gersson Rosas (Minnesota’s former head of basketball operations), but the Wolves are off to a 16-4 start and presumably won’t be looking to make significant roster changes.
Teams around the NBA are curious to see how the Knicks will handle Quickley, who will be a restricted free agent in 2024, says Katz. According to Begley, when Quickley and the Knicks talked about a rookie scale extension prior to the season, the two sides couldn’t agree on the structure of a potential deal. They didn’t discuss incentives, but at least one offer made by New York included a team option on the final season, Begley adds. Just two of the 14 players who signed rookie scale extensions this year – Isaiah Stewart and Cole Anthony – agreed to deals that included team options.
Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required) hands out his grades for the first quarter of the 2023/24 season, awarding Jalen Brunson an A and giving both Quickley and Julius Randle a B-plus. Josh Hart (C-minus) and Quentin Grimes (D-minus), who have voiced concerns about their respective roles, didn’t fare as well.

New York Notes: Randle, Brunson, Vaughn, Simmons, DSJ

December 3rd, 2023 at 4:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Two-time Knicks All-Star power forward Julius Randle continues to thrive for New York despite dealing with lingering knee soreness, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. He has played in all 19 of the team’s games thus far this season after appearing in 77 of 82 last year.

“You almost come to expect that from him. If he can go, he’s going,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And I love that about him. He wanted to get out there, and he warmed up early to see how he would feel. And then he got with the medical people. But Julius, he gives you what he has. He doesn’t take days off.”

New York even wanted Randle to rest the knee earlier this week, Bondy notes, but Randle rejected the idea. He’s averaging 20.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 5.5 APG for New York.

“[I’ll play] all the time,” Randle said. “I think it’s more we just love to play. It’s not really about load management. We just love to play basketball. Me personally, I love to play basketball, so if I can play I’m going to play.”

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Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson has developed a gift for drawing charges, writes Bondy in a separate piece. He has already drawn 30 offensive fouls thus far this season. Bondy notes that he could be en route to a new NBA record. “Obviously I’m not meeting anybody at the rim. So I know I can impact the game that way,” Brunson told Bondy. “So whatever it takes to win, honestly. I find myself in that position and if I bail out, I’m bailing out on my teammates. So I got to be willing to take the contact and pray for the best.”
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn is helping a young, talented team develop at a pace that’s perhaps quicker than pundits may have anticipated, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber exclusive). Third-year shooting guard Cam Thomas is enjoying a breakout season and looks like a potential candidate for Most Improved Player honors if he can keep this output up. He’s currently averaging 26.1 PPG on .464/.343/.846 splits, along with 3.9 RPG and 2.3 APG.
Oft-injured Nets forward Ben Simmons is still weeks away from returning to the lineup for Brooklyn, but reserve point guard Dennis Smith Jr. has returned, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Simmons has missed 12 straight contests with a lower back impingement. Smith had been dealing with a strained lower back for six games.

New York Notes: Brunson, Quickley, Randle, Robinson, Claxton, Thomas

November 27th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley have built chemistry during their second season together in the Knicks’ backcourt, as Fred Katz of The Athletic details. It’s especially notable in the screening Quickley does to create space for Brunson.

Whether they’ll remain together for the long haul remains to be seen. Quickley and the Knicks front office failed to reach a rookie scale extension agreement last month, which means Quickley will be a restricted free agent next summer.

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Julius Randle had a 28-point game against the Suns on Sunday but his inconsistent play is a big reason for the Knicks’ mediocre start, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines. Randle, the team’s highest-salaried player at $28.2MM this season, is shooting 38.7% from the field and 69.2% from the free throw line.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson took a hard fall against Phoenix on Sunday after he elevated for an offensive rebound during the third quarter. However, he’s apparently OK. Robinson went through practice on Monday, according to coach Tom Thibodeau, Katz tweets. Robinson was examined by the team’s trainers Sunday night.
Nets center Nic Claxton, who aggravated a left ankle injury that has nagged him this season, is listed as questionable to play against Toronto on Tuesday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Cam Thomas, who is averaging 26.9 points, is listed as doubtful. He hasn’t played since Nov. 8 due to a left ankle sprain.

Kings’ Fox, Knicks’ Brunson Named Players Of The Week

November 20th, 2023 at 2:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced on Monday (via Twitter). Fox won the weekly award for the Western Conference, while Brunson won for the East.

Fox had missed five straight games with a sprained ankle, but he returned last week to lead the Kings to a perfect 4-0 record, including three victories on the road. He put up stellar stats, averaging 32.2 points, 6.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per night on .523/.444/.719 shooting for Sacramento, which is currently 8-4, the No. 4 seed in the West.

Brunson, meanwhile, guided the Knicks to a 3-1 week, with all of those games coming on the road. He averaged 28.5 points, 6.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds on .476/.543/.882 shooting in those four appearances. New York has won six of its past seven games and is currently 8-5, tied for the fourth-best record in the East.

According to the NBA (Twitter links), the other nominees in the West were Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis and Karl-Anthony Towns, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler, Tyrese Haliburton, Evan Mobley, Kristaps Porzingis, Jayson Tatum and Julius Randle were nominated in the East.

Atlantic Notes: Smart, Celtics, Holiday, Batum, DiVincenzo

November 20th, 2023 at 7:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics‘ NBA-best record (11-2) suggests they’re doing just fine so far this season without longtime backcourt cornerstone Marcus Smart. However, conversations with Celtics players reveal that moving on from Smart and getting used to playing without him hasn’t been easy, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston.

“[Smart is] a big part of this culture,” Jayson Tatum said ahead of Boston’s Sunday matchup with the Grizzlies, Smart’s new team. “He was the most beloved Celtic that we had on our team. He was the heart and soul. To see him leave — I thought I was going to play with Smart my entire career. So seeing him leave was tough.”

“I’m going to miss watching him play basketball because he was a lot of fun to watch. Just creative and engaging and like really one-of-a-kind as a player,” Luke Kornet added. “He was a great teammate and player, and his competitive abilities were incredible.”

Having been diagnosed last week with a sprained left foot, Smart wasn’t able to take the court on Sunday in his first game against his former team. The veteran guard still got the opportunity to catch up with old friends and teammates, but he admitted in an interview with Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston that it was disappointing not to be able to suit up on Sunday.

“We’ve been struggling and we got a great win (on Saturday),” Smart said, per Brian Robb of MassLive.com. “To come back and play a team like Boston, not to be a part of it is definitely devastating.”

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While Jrue Holiday is known most for his defensive ability and the Celtics have no shortage of scoring options, the team is encouraging the veteran guard to be aggressive on the offensive end of the court rather than simply deferring to teammates and focusing on defense, as Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe and Jay King of The Athletic detail. Holiday’s scoring average (12.9 PPG) is his lowest mark since his rookie year in 2009/10, but head coach Joe Mazzulla knows he’s capable of giving the team more if needed. “I told him…I watched you on film take things over when guys on the Bucks team were out and you won games because of what you did on both ends,” Mazzulla said last week.
Sixers forward Nicolas Batum was back with the team on Sunday after missing three consecutive games for personal reasons. According to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), Batum explained that he was away due to a health situation with his wife and expects to be back with the club for good now. “I can’t really say what it is, but I had to be there,” Batum said. “… Sometimes, you have to do what you’ve got to do for your family. She’ll be OK now.”
Donte DiVincenzo‘s connection to former Villanova teammates like Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart was one reason why he joined the Knicks as a free agent this past offseason, and he and Brunson showed on Saturday that the chemistry they established in college remains strong, per Steve Popper of Newsday. Starting alongside Brunson, who had 32 points of his own, DiVincenzo scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting. “I’m not really surprised by it. But it’s pretty cool to see it, one of your best friends playing that way,” Brunson said, adding that he’s “not taking it for granted” to get to play in the NBA with so many of his friends from Villanova.

Atlantic Notes: Batum, Claxton, Harden, Barrett

November 5th, 2023 at 8:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nicolas Batum is expected to make his Sixers debut on Monday when they face the Wizards, Chris Hayes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweets.

Batum was included in the James Harden blockbuster. He’s been away from the Sixers for personal reasons but returned to Philadelphia over the weekend. Batum was a rotation player for the Clippers for three-plus seasons and averaged 18 minutes pere game this season before the deal.

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Nets center Nic Claxton suffered a high left ankle sprain in the regular season opener and admits he’s exasperated by the lingering injury, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Claxton has shed a walking boot, but has yet to return to action. “It’s been frustrating, especially getting hurt the first game of the season, and even the way to the way I did it. But it’s coming along. I’m day-to-day now, just trying to keep myself in a good space, keep supporting my teammates,” he said. “After a couple days … I saw it was taking a little bit longer than I expected and everybody expected. Like I said, it’s frustrating but it’s an 82-game season, so what can you do? I’m not going to put myself in harm’s way. I’m just taking it day-by-day.”
Harden will make his Clippers debut against the Knicks and Jalen Brunson believes they could be an offensive juggernaut, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post relays. “Another weapon for them,” Brunson said. “They have a lot of great players over there. Really impressive résumés and all that stuff, and their careers have been nothing short of spectacular. So, it’s a lot of firepower. We’ve just gotta be ready to go.”
Knicks wing RJ Barrett has missed the last two games with knee soreness. Coach Tom Thibodeau indicated that Barrett could return on Monday. “He said he’s feeling a lot better,” Thibodeau said. Barrett is averaging 21 points this season.