C: Robinson, Noel, Sims
PF-C: Randle, Gibson
SF-PF: Reddish, Samanic
SF-SG: Barrett, Fournier, Grimes
SG-PG: Burks
PG: Quickley, McBride, Walker, Rose
Well, here we are at the mid point of the season.
Somehow Thibs stood up to the pressure of Carlos Castanet's recall petition, injuries, COVID protocols, and the baby steps our starters took in finding some coherent rhythm and their individual games.
Somehow Leon Rose & Friends transposed Dallas' 2021 First Rounder/#19 pick into a 2022 asset, our own 2021 #21 pick into a #25 and some future #2s, and Marcus Morris into a first rounder in 2019-2020 and a 2020-21 Second Rounder/#32 pick into the #34 and #36 picks, and Austin Rivers into cap fodder and a #58 pick in the second round.
Cam Reddish [22]
Quentin Grimes [21]
Immanuel Quickley [22]
Rokas Jokubaitis [21]
Miles McBride [21]
Jericho Sims [23]
A pretty impressive haul, and clearly Cam Reddish easily trumps damn near anyone we could have picked in the first round from #19 on, save Grimes at #25, and, arguably, Nash'Shon Hyland, Carmeron Thomas and Day'Ron Sharpe.
That is A LOT OF PUPPIES. RJ [21] and Mitchell [23] have emerged as major rotational pieces, while Toppin [23] and IQ [22] and Grimes [21], in the absence of Rose and Walker, have shouldered their way into the second unit.
Getting Cam Reddish for our 2022 provisional #1 and Kevin Knox is a rather startling development.
Yet considering that Reddish wanted OUT of Atlanta, due to a logjam of wings, he now is faced with another logjam of wings in NYC, and a coach who has made it crystal clear that minutes are not bequeathed, but earned.
Robinson-Randle-Barrett-Fournier-Burks
Has emerged as a tenable starting five.
And until Walker finally emerges as capable of pulling minutes, and Rose completes his own rehab....and Noel proves ambulatory for more than a fortnight at a time...
Gibson-Toppin-Reddish-Grimes-IQ
Once Walker AND Rose return, things get kind of dicey in terms of minutes.
NEXT MAN UP?
Unless Coach projects Toppin as a small ball center in lieu of Gibson [unlikely], and shifts Reddish over to small ball PF, with Grimes, IQ AND Walker filling out the second unit, Grimes and Reddish are going to be going mano a mano in practice for some of Fournier and Burks minutes, save if Thibs dials back some of RJ's load.
In any event, a nice problem for the Knicks to have, though depth and a surfeit of youth creates its own challenges.
Be interesting to see how Reddish responds to Thibs challenge.
In the meantime, Cam stands well above the likes of such collegiate talents as Kai Jones, Jalen Johnson, Keon Johnson and Isaiah Jackson as a tenable youth asset and rotational chess piece, with a chance to log meanwingful minutes.
Not to mention the level of competition and camraderie he brings to the scrum with RJ and Quentin.
Interesting.
Poll
