Saw a quote where They Call Me MISTER THIBS indicated that he would engage in some small ball this season with Julius at the 5, which is interesting, as it opens up possibilities of deploying Obi/Kevin at the 4, perhaps if Knox continues to drain those corner threes, Obi at the 4 and Kevin at the 3.
Remains to be seen.
That Mister Thibs is even consider triggering such an option, bespeaks his commitment to upping the pace/tempo of the game and significantly increasing the number of treys [helps to have a platoon of Kemba and Derrick to break down the D and make good reads].
And obviously, it signals a dramatic uptick in confidence in Obi Toppin's evolution on both sides of the ball, now that with a summer of hard work and purposeful coaching behind him, we are beginning to see the player Leon Rose committed to in his first draft as the Knicks Major Domo.
PS: I think we are seeing the player Leon thought we were getting when he and the brain trust went all in on Evan Fournier over Reggie Bullock [not sure we were uninterested in bringing Bullock back, but in prioritizing Evan, that window of hesitation motivated Reggie to go with the Mavs, where his role as a catch and shoot specialist and potential minutes were more clearly defined, while in NY he would be looking for minutes next to/behind Evan and RJ as well as Burks]. His three point prowess, ability to create off of the dribble, and free throw shooting efficiency have all been as advertised, but for me, his most significant contribution has been to improved team coherence and efficiency, that is to say enhanced ball movement. moving without the ball, and in the RED HOLZMAN TRADITION, finding the open man. Two plays REALLY stand out. Against Indiana, Fournier was in the corner, well covered, and instead of forcing a three, he made his way down the bassline, drew the coverage under the basket, and shoveled a sweet pass to a rolling Gibson for a layup. Against the Wizards, he got the ball at the top of the key, and began probing the defense, heading towards the basket, presumably looking for his short midrange jumper, but when the double came, he hit a cutting Obi on the baseline with a perfect pass for an emphatic rim rocker.
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