Few teams in any sport need a midseason timeout as much as the Knicks. Injuries have mounted for the Knicks, with six rotation regulars missing the final game before the All-Star break.
The bye in Orlando marks the Knicks’ fourth straight loss and fifth in six games following a 15-2 run that put them just within a half-game of second place in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
Their recent slump in the standings puts them in fourth place, four games behind the second-place Cavaliers and 0.5 games behind the 76ers, with the Knicks (33-22) set to play in Philadelphia on Thursday night for the final 27 of the regular season. Start the match. .
First half MVP
Just hearing the crowd sing along in the garden is enough to make Jalen Brunson worthy of this title.
If the Knicks can get healthy and secure a top-four or better spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, a first-time All-Star-worthy player could legitimately enter the league-wide conversation.
Brunson is the franchise’s best point guard since Walt Frazier, averaging 27.6 points and 6.5 assists per game and shooting 41.1 percent from 3-point range, making him the definitive player New York sports fans always appreciate. He provided toughness and workmanship.
most worthless player
There’s no player on the current roster that really fits this category, so we’ll go with departed veteran Evan Fournier. He played just three games and 39 minutes before being paid his expiring $18.9 million salary in a trade deadline deal.
Fournier, who set a franchise record with 241 3-pointers in the 2021-22 season, didn’t make headlines as he spent the past two seasons on the Knicks’ bench, but was traded to Detroit at the deadline. Afterwards, he said: “I was really excited to finally be able to leave New York.”
best moment
In the Dec. 30 trade of former first-round pick RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto, OG Anunoby and rotation piece Precious Achiuwa were traded to Toronto by team president Leon Rose. It was a bold move.
He disrupted some of the team’s existing core, but the result was a 14-2 record in January and another win to open February. Anunoby provided much-needed defensive reinforcement, posting an impressive plus-252 mark in the 14 games before his departure. He will be out of the lineup and will require elbow surgery on February 8th.
On the same day the Anunoby deal was announced, Rose struck again by acquiring floor spacers Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Pistons in a deal that freed up Fournier and Quentin Grimes.
worst moment
The Knicks’ victory over the Garden at the Heat on Jan. 27 came at a double cost, as it marked the last time Anunoby and three-time All-Star forward Julius Randle were in the lineup.
Randle dislocated his right shoulder in the fourth quarter of that game, and the team’s announced re-evaluation date is coming up this week.
In fact, the Knicks won the first three games without their frontcourt duo, extending their winning streak to a season-high nine games, but injuries to Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein, and others meant that the Knicks won their first three games without their frontcourt duo before the hiatus. They lost five of their last six games. Others – mounted.
biggest surprise
Starting center Mitchell Robinson’s ankle surgery in early December felt like the first devastating injury for the Knicks this season, but it was softened by the impact of Hartenstein on both ends of the floor. Ta.
The former backup big man averaged 8.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, at least one block and at least one steal in 24 starts, but missed the last three losses before the suspension due to a recurrent Achilles tendon issue. The Knicks hope this issue can be fixed during this off period. break.
The most important question of the second half
The Knicks looked like a team fully ready to challenge the East’s top teams before injuries derailed the team, but Hartenstein, DiVincenzo (hamstring) and Bogdanovic (calf) were all sidelined until Thursday’s road trip. If he can get back on track quickly, he may be able to get back on track. The Sixers will be without MVP Joel Embiid (knee) since January 30th.
Of course, these additions are necessary for short-term sustainability, but the eventual return of Randle, Anunoby, and perhaps Robinson will be key to a long playoff run.
This storyline is worth watching
Head coach Tom Thibodeau will be obligated to integrate the new rotation members as they approach full strength. Bogdanovic and Burks will need to be part of the second-unit mix with versatile wing Josh Hart, while either Achiuwa or reserve point guard Myles McBride will need to get playing time, depending on the matchup.
Thibodeau doesn’t like to employ maintenance days or load management principles when it comes to playing time, but with all the injuries he probably needs time off for the team’s strongest members, even within games. is.
