Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley putting pressure on RJ Barrett
Knicks guard RJ Barrett dunks next to the Rockets' John Wall during the second quarter of an NBA game Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Credit: AP/Wendell Cruz
Entering Monday’s game against the Hawks, not only had the Knicks’ backcourt bench tandem of Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley outplayed the opposition in the last three games, they had outplayed the Knicks’ starting backcourt.
Elfrid Payton has been a target of the fan base, but RJ Barrett has struggled of late, too. Beginning one game before Rose arrived, Barrett averaged 23.4 minutes per game in those four games after leading the league in total minutes to that point. In that span, he shot 26.8% and averaged 7.8 points per game.
"It’s more the way the bench is playing," coach Tom Thibodeau said of Barrett’s reduced minutes. "If they’re on a good run, it’s good for us because we can get more rest for the starters. And sometimes it happens the other way where the starters are playing a little bit better so you’ll run with that more. But it’s more of how the game is going, what the matchups are and that sort of thing. And it’s also how the groups are functioning together."
Barrett had 21 points in 33 minutes in the Knicks’ 123-112 victory over the Hawks.
Happy times for Thibs
Rose has known Thibodeau for a decade, playing for him with Chicago and Minnesota before arriving in New York. And he said he has seen a difference in his coach.
"I mean, in Chicago, that was his first time having a team, so that was different," Rose said.
"But in Minnesota, you could see that he was catching up . . . with just the new league. There’s kids that’s in the league now. They’re young. They’re trying to figure themselves out. And Thibs has more patience than anything.
"Just being here, appreciating the situation, appreciating him a lot more, it’s a blessing to be here. But you could just tell that he’s just a totally different person now. He’s smiling. I’ve never seen him smile as much as he has right now. So it rubs off on me. Feeling his energy."
When Thibodeau was told that Rose said he is smiling more, he laughed before noting, "I want us to work. When you get a team that’s committed to playing for each other and doing the right things, I also want us to enjoy it."
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
