The New York Knicks have crashed back down to Earth this season after a spectacular 2020-21 NBA campaign. New York earned the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference last season and looked to be on the up and up. People were excited about the direction they were heading, but that has come to a screeching halt this season.
The Knicks got off to a hot start, going 5-1 to start the season. However, things have steadily gone downhill since. They are now mired in a five-game losing streak as they are watching their playoff chances diminish with every passing game.
Four games out of a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament, things are certainly looking bleak in The Big Apple. Calls for Tom Thibodeau’s job were getting louder and louder ahead of the All-Star break and little has been done to quell those either.
New York blew multiple 20+ point leads in February. Thibodeau’s lack of deviating from his rotations has cost them in some instances, but the fact that he is turning to some of the younger guys for rotation minutes should call off the dogs for a little longer.
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Ultimately, this is a team that overachieved last season and has regressed to the mean this season. Committing to the young guys and seeing what they have in them is the right thing to do for the remainder of this season.
A few things are missing on this roster for them to truly take the step to the next level. One NBA executive recently revealed what is missing. Many people would say it is a point guard, but the executive believes it is something else.
“If you look at the last two or three deals that happened, those teams already had a guy, and were adding a second guy,” another East executive said.
“James Harden [to the 76ers], Jrue Holiday [to the Bucks], Anthony Davis [to the Lakers] … Philly had Embiid, Milwaukee had Giannis, the Lakers had LeBron. …
“The Knicks do not have that. They’re trying to get the first guy.”
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New York thought they had that guy in Julius Randle. He was an All-Star last season and earned a spot on the All-NBA Second Team, carrying the New York Knicks throughout the season. He has been unable to replicate that success, as his efficiency, energy and effort have waned.
Julius Randle has picked things back up the last few weeks, but it seems like too little too late to salvage this season. Had the New York Knicks received this level of production throughout the entire season, not just when RJ Barrett was sidelined with an injury, things could have gone much differently.
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Instead, New York seemingly now has the second guy. Finding the No. 1 guy is something that will prove much more difficult. Barrett has the talent and has shown signs of potential to be that No. 1 option, but he has a long way to go before achieving that designation.
