The Knicks have a different series of lineups this weekend, as they’ve changed their starts and seen unique combinations of players – and that’s a lot of conversation about the team’s game going forward.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau made the first significant change to the lineup on Friday night, when he floored Quentin Grimes in place of Ivan Fournier to start his game against the 76ers.
Grimes, a 22-year-old shooting guard, replaced the veteran three-point specialist in Philadelphia, but failed to make much of an impact in the game with only 15 minutes and two points in the competition.
Still, that matchup saw other new twists in the Knicks rotation, with Obie Toppin and Julius Randall sharing the floor for just over 10 minutes.
That pair of power forwards, who boast similar skill sets and traded minutes for the past two seasons, joined each other and gave the Knicks a facelift against the injured Philadelphia lineup, and the 76ers 29-15 Outscored.
He won that game 106-104.
“I love it,” Thibodeau said of Randall and Toppin playing together. “I love what it gives us.”
“We play fast, keep them on the floor on the offensive end,” Randley said. “The biggest thing is that we just have to rebound.”
Thibodeau, liking what he saw on Friday, decided to play several minutes ahead in the lineup on Saturday night against the Boston Celtics, also placing Cam Radish in the starting lineup for the first time this season.
The Toppin-Randley pair were outscored by 15 on the court together – though they still showed glimpses of what the pair could achieve together.
Meanwhile, the Radish faltered in Saturday night’s home game, collecting just 4 points in his 37 minutes, and being virtually invisible for long parts of the competition.
Meanwhile, fan-favorite combo guard Emmanuel Quickley still hasn’t cracked the starting rotation, but still averages about 21 minutes a year. He averages 7.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
for the year, 11 different players Average double-digit minutes per game.
Now sitting 4-5 into the season, a weekend of lineup shifts has delighted fans, who were searching for a new look from the coach, who has been aloof from the NBA since 1989 – though the experiential nature of Thibodeau’s recent decisions left more questions than this. Answer about what the team will look like going forward.
“We’re going to make some mistakes,” said the coach. “No matter what happens, we’re not going to be perfect.”
