Trade Rumor Roundup And A Look Back At Last Night

During their past 10 games, NY has been outscored by 84 points with RJ Barrett on the court. That's not only the worst +/- on the team, it's the worst individual +/- among all players in the East...

We are all so crunched for time nowadays. With so many different commitments pulling us in different directions, it can be challenging to carve out time to watch your favorite basketball team play. So, allow me to offer a suggestion: When the Knicks are on, forget the first 46 minutes and tune in to just the final 120 seconds of regulation. 

It seems no matter what happens over the first 3+ quarters, whether good (building a double-digit lead) or bad (falling behind by 15+ points), the Knicks find themselves in a nail-biter that is decided in the closing moments. 

Saturday was no different. 

With 11 minutes left in the final frame, the Clippers led the Knicks 98-81. However, New York again showed tremendous resolve and fight, clawing their way back into the contest. After Deuce McBride, Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes hit back-to-back-to-back three-pointers, Immanuel Quickley knocked down a pair of free throws, and all of a sudden, the Knicks were within six with eight minutes remaining. 

Then, in the final two minutes, Jalen Brunson did Jalen Brunson things. First, JB hit a cutting Isaiah Hartenstein for a dunk. Then Brunson blew past his defender for a layup. On New York's next possession, he found Grimes in the corner for a monster three-pointer to give the Knicks their first lead of the game at 113-112. After another defensive stop, Brunson grabbed the rebound and converted a floater on the other end to give New York a three-point lead with 19 seconds left on the clock. During this improbable 10-run, Brunson scored or assisted on each of his team's FGs. 

All that was separating the Knicks from an impressive and invigorating victory was one defensive stand. Yet, despite a great contest from Grimes forcing a missed 3-ball from Paul George, Kawhi Leonard tipped the rebound to Zubac, and after two crisp passes, Nic Batum knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime. 

Los Angeles scored the first four points of OT and put up 19 points in the extra period against an exhausted and drained Knicks squad. It was the Knicks' ninth OT game this season and their sixth overtime loss, which leads the league (no other team has more than four OT defeats). This is another instance of the extra wear-and-tear on NY's starters log coming back to bite them. 

Looking at Saturday's contest as a whole, there is plenty for Knicks fans to be proud of. First and foremost, this team continues to compete every night—credit Thibs and the team for their consistent effort and tenacity. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, if we assign blame for Saturday's loss, RJ Barrett deserves the lion's share. Barrett took a team-high 21 shots but made only six of them. He was 1-8 from downtown and 1 of 16 from behind the arc over the Knicks' past three games. 

Part of this also falls on the head coach. Playing RJ a game-high 44 minutes on a night he clearly was not in rhythm is foolish, especially considering that the Knicks have other quality options. Immanuel Quickley has been New York's second-best 4th-quarter performer this season. In addition, both Toppin and McBride played very well in limited minutes on Saturday. Obi had eight points (on 3-of-4 shooting) in 12 minutes. Deuce chipped in eight points, three boards and two treys in just 11 minutes of the bench.

RJ was 6-of-21 for 14 points.
The trio of Obi, Deuce & Grimes was 10-of-18 for 29 points.

And RJ's inefficient lack of production on the offensive end vs. the Clips tells only half the story. His defense was worse/more damaging than his offense.

Plus/Minus vs. LA:
Barrett: -20
Grimes: +2
Obi: +5
McBride: +5

Unfortunately, New York being outscored with Barrett on the floor is becoming a disturbing trend. RJ has posted a positive +/- just once in the team's past ten games. 

During this ten-game stretch (in which NY is 3-7), New York has been outscored by 84 (!!) points with Barrett on the court. Not only is that the worst +/- on the team, by far, it's the worst individual plus/minus among all players in the Eastern Conference over the past 3+ weeks. (Conversely, IQ is team-best +36.) 

And yet, during this ten-game stretch, Barrett is still logging a team-high 38.2 minutes a night. Make it make sense. Again, it's not as though the coaching staff doesn't have options. Coming into the season, the Knicks' exceptional depth was considered one of the team's strengths. "How is Thibs gonna find playing time for all these seemingly worthy rotation players?" was a commonly asked question. However, Cam Reddish hasn't played a second since the mid-term elections, and Obi has averaged 11.4 minutes per game over the past two months. 

On the season, the Knicks are allowing 116.6 points per 100 possessions with RJ on the court. They allow just 105.5 with him on the bench. 

The Knicks are 2-6 when Barrett plays more than 40 minutes. New York is 3-7 when he attempts 20+ shots. They are 4-2 in games he's missed. 

About Last Night:

🏀 Sadly, it got overshadowed by the craziness at the end of regulation, but Jalen Brunson authored another incredible performance on Saturday. As noted above, JB took over down the stretch and finished the contest with a game-high 41 points (14-of-19 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), five rebounds, seven assists (vs. just one turnover), and five 3-pointers in 38 minutes. It's the first time in franchise history a player has scored more than 40 points on fewer than 20 FG attempts while also racking up at least five dimes and five boards. The only other players in the past five years to accomplish the same feat are Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, LeBron James and Stephen Curry.