The New York Knicks will play the Miami Heat in the second half at FTX Arena. The photo was taken by Cliff Hawkins.
As the playoffs seem to be out of reach, the debate around New York has focused on the direction that the franchise should take. The loss on the road against the Utah Jazz was a disappointment, the blown 23 point 3rd quarter lead against the Portland Trail blazers was a travesty, and the collapse to the starless Brooklyn Nets is sending shockwaves throughout the league.
There is a question about how the team should allocate minutes. The team that continues to run out lineups that don't help the future or the present seems to be the focus of the criticism. Fans clamor for reserves to play more so let's take a look at which one should get more burn.
The man who leads the league in name chanted by the home crowd per 36 minutes continues to gain playing time. During the month of February, Toppin is only playing 10 minutes per game. It is easy to say that the lack of production has resulted in a decreased role, but what about the inverse? The bench unit has been prevented from playing longer minutes because Toppin juices up the transition attack. His efficiency differential is one of the best at his position. Does he reward players for playing when they help the team win or is he stubborn in how he runs his rotation? Let's look at the data.
Thibs is unwilling to break away from his need for a rim protectors and hasn't given management an understanding of the ceiling of some of the younger players. The coach is doing a disservice to the long-term health of the team if he doesn't see how much Toppin can handle. When Obi enters the game, the mistakes made in a missed rotation or box out seem to be too much for Thibodeau to handle. He seems to be willing to look over those same mistakes when a veteran is on the floor.
There are many reasons to think that Toppin's future is as a third big off the bench, and he is one of the worst 3-point shooters in the league.
It's true. He is last in 3-point percentage for players who have shot at least 90 3-pointers. It's too soon to give up on that missing piece of his arsenal, even if it seems as if he has.
The ability of Toppin to impact the game through his speed in the transition game is a skill that ranks among the best in the league. On the play type, he is scoring 1.43 points per 100 possessions and doing so on 20.2 percent of his possessions.
The problem? You guessed it. He has played so little that it has translated to only 1.4 possessions per game.
The Knicks ran through a lot of players that were forced to sit due to healthy and safety protocols. In December and January, he played more than 15 minutes in five games, and that opened the door for him to get some time. The verve and energy in which he played was a stark contrast to how the defense had operated up until that point in the year, and it seemed like the Knicks would consider trotting him out more often. It has been over 20 games since he has seen more than a garbage time minute.
During the summer league, McBride played well and had huge fans. He continues to dominate in his limited sample size in the G-League, posting numbers that would make James blush. It's important to point out that evaluators are always wrong about players, and the G-League should be a place where McBride dominates.
Those are fair reviews.
The problem is that it seems as if he has proven himself to be a worthy part of the rotation and his inclusion in it feels distant. He should be allowed to prove the statistics and evaluators wrong. He becomes a lost 2nd round pick. At best? A key part of the next winning Knicks team.
It has been an odd start to his New York Knicks tenure for Reddish. He hasn't played in any of the 13 games that he has been active for and only played in three of the nine games. The Knicks were open to moving him, more specifically a proposed three-team trade made the rounds on social media. It seems illogical to buy on a player, sink his value by not playing him and then hope that he still has value around the league by making him available in trade talks.
Reddish's field goal percentage is pedestrian and he has forced the issue with some ugly turnovers. He has shown promise in his limited time on the court. He was able to defend against the Utah Jazz with his length. In the first half against Portland, he was able to show off his drives to the basket and get to the free throw line four times.
The Knicks brought in Reddish to tease out whether those fleeting moments could become a star. It is not possible to gain insight into a ceiling of a player if they are not allowed into the room.
Reddish is unlikely to get an extension unless he gets playing time and production over the last 23 games of the season that align with his reported desired salary figure. In order to maximize the investment into him as a prospect, the Knicks would have to play the player they would want to pay. It would be ideal for them to do that before other teams have a chance to offer him a contract next summer.
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