Six Pack React: Knicks Fight Back But Fall Short

Julius Randle didn't force any mid-range jumpers Wednesday night. Six of his 16 FG attempts came at the rim, and six came from behind the arc.

New York found themselves down 19 points early in the third quarter vs. the upstart Grizzlies Wednesday night. RJ Barrett couldn't buy a bucket. Mitch Rob was in foul trouble. Ja Morant was slicing through the Knicks' defense like an NYC bike messenger weaving between cars in midtown traffic. Some dude named Santi Aldama was having the game of his young life. The Memphis crowd was rocking. 

It was a recipe for disaster, and it looked like New York would be blown out in their regular-season opener. However, to their credit, the Knicks fought all the way back, forcing overtime, before finally falling short in the extra session. 

Here are six takeaways from New York's 115-112 defeat in Memphis:

🏀 Randle Renaissance? 

Julius Randle carried the positive momentum he built up during the preseason into Wednesday night, playing a solid and impressive all-around game. Randle led the team in points (24) and rebounds (11) while also chipping in six assists, two treys and two steals across 35 minutes before fouling out in overtime. And, just as importantly, Randle was efficient offensively, shooting 9-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. He was a team-high +7. The "Euro Ball" version of Randle continues to make quick decisions with the ball and finds open teammates. Had RJ Barrett knocked down a few wide-open three-pointers, Randle would have flirted with a triple-double. 

Here's Randle's shot chart from Wednesday night:

As you can see, he didn't force any mid-range jumpers. Six of his 16 FG attempts came at the rim, and six came from behind the arc. Twelve of his 16 shots came immediately off the catch or after just one dribble. He held the ball for fewer than two seconds before shooting on half his FG attempts.

As I noted earlier this month, New York's offense often stagnated last season when Randle tried to do too much by himself. In 2021-22, nearly 35% of all Randle's FG attempts came after he dribbled at least three times. Randle held the ball between 2-6 seconds before attempting a shot on 47% of his total FG attempts (and converted less than 40% on those FGAs) last season. He controlled the ball for more than six seconds on nearly 17% of his FG attempts. 

At one point during the broadcast, ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy pointed out how Randle attacked the paint and drew a foul instead of jab-stepping and launching a fadeaway jumper from 17 feet. Making sharp, quick decisions with the basketball is how Randle can best utilize his athleticism and skill set. 

It was also very encouraging to see him ramp up his defensive intensity Wednesday night. Here is one such example: 

Tommy Beer @TommyBeer

The offensive numbers are great (22/10/5) the effort defensively has been the most encouraging aspect of Randle’s game thus far

He ends up getting beat and should not have allowed Bane to drive right, but the ball denial is commendable. Thibs said during training camp that some players tend to let offensive struggles impact them on the other end of the floor. Randle seemed energized by his offensive success in the season opener. We'll see if that continues.