Knicks' second unit coming together with great results
Immanuel Quickley #5 of the Knicks works against Tre Jones #33 of the San Antonio Spurs in the first half at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. Credit: Jim McIsaac
GREENBURGH
The numbers aren’t there yet, not this early in the season. If you look at the statistical minutiae of the production of the Knicks’ second unit, it basically puts you where the Knicks are — break-even.
But the eye test tells you something else, something that may take form as the games pile up and the unit gets time together.
In the last two games, as the Knicks have begun to find their footing, the five-man combo of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein has piled up a net rating of 24.0 in 20 minutes — a hint of what may come as the Knicks assemble their second unit.
With Obi Toppin having been traded, DiVincenzo is the new addition to the group, which has begun to find its way. After the Knicks gave up size with the removal of Toppin from the bench mob, this group has started to forge its own identity.
“I feel like no matter who’s in there — Obi was great — but no matter who’s plugged in, we have a system as far as what we do,” Quickley said. “And whoever’s in there, we all understand how we want to play. And that’s fast, get stops and run. That’s when we are at our best.
“Obviously, we’re not as big, but I think we get a little bit faster defensively. I think we probably get a little bit more versatile. But just finding new ways to get better as far as our team, our chemistry, offense, defense. We want to be able to get stops and hang our hats on that. And be able to get out and run.”
In the win over the Clippers, this group turned the game in the fourth quarter. It did exactly what Quickley said — stepping in passing lanes, getting out on fast breaks and putting a back-and-forth game out of reach.
“Us playing together for a year has helped us a lot, honestly in my opinion,” Barrett said. “We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. You’ve seen it a couple of times. I know if Josh gets a rebound, I’m sprinting, because I know he’s going to throw it. Things like that, knowing who’s who. We’ve all kind of been playing well just together. It’s been a good couple of games. We have to keep it up.
“DiVincenzo is another weapon. Obviously, he’s a pest defensively, he gets a lot of deflections, lot of steals. He can really shoot and move and cut. Just knows how to play. He’s flying in for offensive rebounds. He’s kind of doing it all out there. Him as well as Quick are those spark plugs for us.”
The Knicks rely on depth because, as you may have noticed, they don’t have a superstar who can determine a team’s fate on his own.
Julius Randle is the lone player on the roster to have made an All-Star or All-NBA team. Jalen Brunson is growing into a star, already the leader of the team. But the differential for the Knicks is that they have a nine-man rotation that not only doesn’t lose ground when the starters go to the bench but can alter a game with its different style.
“I think that the second half of last year, the defense I thought was outstanding,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “In the playoffs, we had the best defensive rating, and so I think the thing that’s unique . . . Josh being at the four, everyone was concerned about the size thing. But Josh, to me, he can defend and he’s a great rebounder. Our rebounding has been terrific, so we’ve got to continue to do that.
“Now that the guys are getting some rhythm with each other, the turnovers have gone way down. We’ve got to be strong on both sides of the ball, play to our strengths. But I love how the pace of the game changes with the second unit.’’
Pushing through
With Randle’s admission that he has been working his way back into form after offseason ankle surgery and Brunson’s evasive answers to questions about the injury status of his right hand — if it is his right hand; he was really, really evasive — two contrasting points could be raised.
First, the Knicks, in an era of load management and sports science, are led by a pair of stars who will do anything they can to get on the court, including resisting efforts by the team to sit them. They’re not alone, with Tom Thibodeau heading up a team in his image. Add Barrett, Quickley, Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson to a group that seeks to play all 82 games.
But it’s also a reminder that if Randle or Brunson is shut down at any point, this whole thing falls apart very quickly.
Using the 6-4 Hart as the backup power forward works. Having him contending with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Zion Williamson works, well, not as much.
And everything the Knicks do starts with Brunson. Lose either one of them for any extended period and there is no way back.
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.
