It's strange to see promise in a 28 point loss, but that's about what we got last night. The Knicks youth went neck and neck with the Warriors starting line-up for the better part of 3 quarters and the game only got out of hand in a fourth quarter while the kids were sitting. The bittersweet aspect of this game comes from the fact that the starting line-up didn't get a fair shot to win the game and then Fiz appeared to blame them for the blow out. But that first half of the statement is pretty big. The oldest player in the starting line-up was 26 year old Tim Hardaway and yet they hung with the defending champions to the point of fan frustration that they weren't relied upon sooner to close out that game. Let me admit, I don't think anything was stopping KD in God-mode, but any hope to have stopped his momentum would require the defensive minded kids being back out there. Let's go deeper:
Nickelina (Steph pronunciation): Frank Ntilikina's first start at PG, he had more TO's than Assists (3:2) and Steph Curry dropped 29 points...but he managed to give Knicks fans hope. For one, he put up 17 points on 6/11 from the field with 3 three pointers out of 7. In the first half where he got the bulk of his minutes, he went damn near point for point with Steph and dropped 13. Frank was aggressive as he's been in his career, scoring from three or on drives; catch and shoots or off the dribble. The low assists doesn't do justice to how well the ball moved with his new unit; but the 26 attempts from 3 for the starters is a good indication (38% accuracy on those attempts). Steph put up his numbers, but Frank was actually making him work just to get the ball. We all know how good Steph is, and Frank lost the defensive battle, but his ball denial and hustle were undeniable. Listen...it's this 20 year old kid's first start at PG in his career and we're in a tank season, this one performance where he was arguably our best player for chunks of time is enough to claim that starting spot for a season in my eyes. Let's see what he can become playing the role he was drafted to play. The frustrating bit? A season low in minutes with 26 in a game he'd made his mark on through 3 quarters.
THJ: Tim Hardaway has been pretty much locked in all season, but this was probably his most focused effort so far. He drove more often and limited the long, contested two pointers (they still happened but less often). Timmy also did a bit more creating, with some kickouts available on his drives where he showed faith in his teammates. 9/21 and 4/12 from the three point line for the scorer who dropped 24 points and 4 assists in a tough match-up with Klay. Even his defensive lapses felt less pronounced for much of the game as he thoroughly outplayed a quality two way guy like Thompson.
Dot: Watching Dotson get his jumpers off even with just a little bit of space and playing with this confidence is a far cry even from his summer league performances. He started this one 0 for 6 but kept shooting and ended on a high note. He's playing at high speeds on both ends and his defense is as much a joy to watch as his shooting form. 5/12 from the field, 2/6 from 3 pumping in 12 points as a sophomore. Dot also led the starters in rebounds with 7. The kid is showing a ton of promise and putting together a nice run of consecutive quality performances.
Vonleh: The Vonleh/Robinson combo front court was surprisingly not too bad for spacing in this one. Vonleh knocking down a open three pointer early may have helped a bit and his ability to dribble the rock definitely helps him out in space. He's not a "force the issue" player which helps out a lot, as he moved the ball and tallied assists throughout the night. Most importantly, he's the dirty work guy. You'll catch him bumping guys and keeping them uncomfortable which works well as Mitch Robinson runs around looking for a shot to challenge. 7 pts, 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals off of 2/4 from the field in a relatively short 22 minutes run. He struggled a bit with Green, who was having a rare good shooting night, but Green shooting that well is an anomaly.
Mitch: I've mentioned this a few times already but stat sheet and technique be damned, you can FEEL Mitch Robinson's presence whenever he's out there. The kid's motor was second to Dotson only last night and he did not back down from the GS trash talkers. He can suffer from being overpowered inside, but any other time he's out there changing shots or decisions from ball handlers. 7 points and 6 boards on 3/5 from the field and the guys that go heavy on tape can correct me if I'm wrong, but at least on first watch it felt like he was setting better screens last night. Now let's talk future, if he's able to co-exist with Vonleh and/or Kanter in effective line-ups than he will ABSOLUTELY co-exist with KP in the future. Let's hope it continues.
Burke: I feel like I'm gonna come across as a hater, but this felt like another one hot quarter performance from Burke while he struggled the rest of the way. It's just a lot easier to give a pass to when he's off the bench commanding touches with a lesser supporting cast that could actually use his attacking style. Burke's third quarter was really impressive and he shot the three ball damn well, but Fiz hung him out to dry by leaving him in the game too long in that fourth. 22 minutes that shoulda been 18 minutes imo; 5/12 shooting and three of the makes were from long range (out of 7). He also added 2 assists and boards without his defensive limitations standing out much, especially promising because he matched up with Steph Curry plenty. I think this is his real role and he can thrive in it, but Fiz has to know when to pull the plug and when to ride the wave. That may take some trial and error.
Mario: Hezonja is frustrating in that he can come out and show so much promise one night and then float through the next. 6 points, 2 assists and 2 boards in 18 minutes on an inefficient 3/9 from the field including 0/4 from three. He just never made his presence really felt, but with a whole new unit around him that may have contributed to the issue. Combine that chemistry shift with the fact that he has a lot of talent means I'll try to stay patient.
Trier: Over 16 minutes, Allonzo Trier got 3 attempts off and made 1 to put up 2 points. I mentioned in the preseason that he and Burke have no chemistry and that continues to be the case. It feels like they're completely redundant since only one guy can take advantage of an isolation at a time. His defense was still active and energetic at least, but the line-up changes may claim him as a casualty.
Lance: Lance managed similar minutes to when he starts, in fact...probably 4 minutes too many. 19 minutes to drop 2 points, 1 assist and 1 board. He was 1/4 and didn't put his stamp on the game defensively either. Probably his worst performance of a season where he has been struggling but at least his intangibles stood out. The intangibles just didn't do their job last night.
Kanter: I saved Kanter for last so I could go on a rant, you're welcome. I honestly really liked a lot of what he did out there. He tried to get in KD's head; managed 13 boards off the bench, 8 points on 4/9 and also had 2 assists though he coupled those with 3 TO's. Kanter got less touches but still made 'em count and did a good job offensively over 20 minutes. But when he gets on the court following Mitch and Vonleh; it's visible...the defensive drop off inside is really, extremely visible. Yet Kanter spent the post game presser with a crappy attitude and an especially bad response about moving to the bench. It's understandable that he's not happy, but making a scene of it in spite of how well the starters is lame. If he wants more minutes, he should focus all of his energy into mastering his positioning on pick and roll defense. Otherwise, he needs to accept that on any decent team he's a bench big that goes in for some post ups and rebounds...that's it.
Kornet: Luke Kornet got two minutes to give us a solid reminder that Allonzo Trier really doesn't need to go to the G-League when his 45 day allowance with the pro team run out.
Fiz: Man, Fizdale managed to win my faith back with his line-up changes and then make me worried with his complete lack of accountability for the blow out fourth quarter. Fiz saw Trey Burke go off in the third and then stuck with the second unit for far too long into the fourth quarter. By the time the kids came back in, the Warriors were on fire and carrying a big lead. The youth had zero chance to break the momentum and the blow out ballooned more. When Fiz got asked about the loss, he alluded to players not believing in themselves or playing for a full 48 minutes. But they didn't play for a full 48 minutes because you benched the guys that got you to the fourth so close buddy. They weren't just loafing when the kids came out in the third quarter, they were fighting. Let's be fair though, the starting line-up took some courage. Kanter's salty presser shows you how delicate these matters are. So props there but also, don't expect the kids to believe in themselves if you don't put faith in them until it's too late...that's not fair...and the shaky finish is on you.
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