RJ Barrett

New York Knicks: Dennis Smith Jr. falling out of favor with David Fizdale

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New York Knicks, Dennis Smith Jr.

The point guard position for the New York Knicks was filled with doubt and uncertainty heading into the regular season, and veteran Elfrid Payton proved to be the top option among the three, despite only scoring 11 points in the season opener. His impressive defensive attributes allowed him to take control of the games and help the Knicks come close to victory, and he earned the start against the Brooklyn Nets in a hard-fought game.

Payton finished the night shooting 4-for-10 with 10 points and two assists. His -7 +/-was the lowest on the starting team, and his defense fell off a cliff after a stellar first game performance in the facet. However, the player that seems to be falling out of favor with head coach David Fizdale is Dennis Smith Jr., who played five minutes and shot 0-for-4 with one assist. Smith finished the game with a -8 +/-, the lowest on the team.

The New York Knicks could leave Dennis Smith Jr. in the dust:

Frustration could be setting in for Smith Jr., who has been emotional in the past over playing time and usage. If he continues down this path of low percentage field goals attempts and lousy defense, Fizdale could forget about him altogether.

One exciting thing we saw on Friday night was how Fizdale approached the point guard position. He initially used Payton as the first option, but then inserted Allonzo Trier and RJ Barrett into the position due to the struggles from Smith and Frank Ntilikina.

Ultimately, Trier had a stellar game working out of PG and his natural guard position, putting up 22 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 from downtown. He also connected on 7-11 free throws. I expect to see plenty more from the formerly undrafted player in the Knicks starting rotation.

Trier made it a priority to increase his three-point attempts this season, and he has ‘so far, heaving up four in his second game of the season. Connecting on 75%, we will see plenty more from him in that regard.

New York Knicks: Frank Ntilikina went backwards in his progression

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New York Knicks, Knicks

The battle for the New York Knicks point guard position got a little clearer Wednesday night.  Dennis Smith Jr., Frank Ntilikina and Elfrid Payton were all trying to “earn” their time.  However, one guard took steps forward and the others took a few steps back.

Coach David Fizdale said that “no one has earned” the starting job yet, in regards to the point guard position.  RJ Barrett was the man running point to begin the game then Payton took over, playing extremely well, despite careless fouls.

Payton was able to push the ball up the floor and give the team a better fast break then the rest.  He ended the night with zero turnovers, 11 points on 44% shooting, eight assists, two rebounds and five steals.  The Knicks looked like a competent team with him leading the charge.  Therefore, Payton is the current leader in the clubhouse.

Despite Payton’s strong performance, Ntilikina’s game was anything but.

Ntilikina was making progress from his summer playing for France in the FIBA World Cup and just took a few steps backwards.  Some of the plays that Ntilikina had stopped any momentum that the Knicks had.  He had two careless passes which led to turnovers and easy buckets for the Spurs.  The Spurs were shook offensively before that and swung the momentum, ultimately winning the game.

Some may call the errors Ntilikina had ‘JV plays’ and they were painful to watch.  The turnovers he had were passed right to Spur defenders.  The Knicks showed their trust and confidence in Ntilikina by picking up his fourth-year option but he squashed that quickly.  Yes, it was only one game but that alone wasn’t going to earn him more minutes.

Again, yes it was one game but Payton has to be the clear favorite for the point guard job now.  Barrett can’t be the guy because he’s too valuable to put in that position.  The Knicks can’t afford to run him into the ground this early in his promising career.

Smith Jr. showed that he’s still not 100% in all aspects of his game.  Health, shooting and defense wise.  In time, he’ll be back to his normal self, but for now this Payton’s job to lose.

The New York Knicks season began with an intriguing loss

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New York Knicks, RJ Barrett

The New York Knicks kicked off their season in San Antonio last evening.  The team supported their new statement uniforms on the road against the Spurs.

The game was interesting to say the least.  The Knicks started the game with lackadaisical defense as the Spurs jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter.  Their defense was sub-par as the Spurs were manhandling them on the glass for the entire game.

However, the Knicks were able to make things interesting going on multiple double-digit runs to get back into the game and take the lead.  At one point, the Knicks were up 7 points in second half, having total control of the game.

But, as all Knicks fans know, that doesn’t last.  The Spurs continued to dominate the boards and got to the basket seemingly at will.  Their shooting was something else as well, as it seemed like every big shot went in.

Despite the awful rebounding, help defense and careless fouls and passes, the Knicks played better then expected.  The refs were not on the Knicks side, they never are.  The fouls were 32-12 in favor of the Knicks.  Horrendous.

Point guard situation 

RJ Barrett and Allonzo Trier was the starting back-court with Barrett running point.  He is not a true point guard, but coach David Fizdale had enough confidence in him to be the guy.  This comes after Fizdale saying that none of the three true point guards on the roster earned the starting spot.

After an initial rocky start, the offense got grooving.  Everyone was pushing the ball up the floor and it was paying dividends. Elfrid Payton helped greatly.  Payton had a very strong showing running the offense when Trier when out.  He ran the offense well and was able to push the tempo and his teammates followed.  Payton’s performance, despite his fouling, made him the clear favorite for the starting point guard job.

Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina did not make things easier on themselves trying to get that job.  Smith Jr. couldn’t contain Dejounte Murray or Bryn Forbes, as they ran circles around the rusty Smith Jr.  His shot still needs loads of work.  Ntilikina had careless passes which led to easy Spur baskets in big situations.

Despite the negatives, the New York Knicks play was captivating.  Barrett, Julius Randle and Marcus Morris stole the show.  Those three provided the Knicks with big time offense when needed.  Kevin Knox, too, had huge back-to-back threes for the Knicks.  Even though it’s only one game, his shot looks stronger then last season.

Randle, Barrett, Payton and Morris sparked the team to have a lot of energy and cohesiveness.  The teams defense was ‘tenacious’ as Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier would say.  They got steals when needed, leading to fast breaks led by Barrett and Payton.  The rebounding was atrocious but they can work on that.  Getting Mitchell Robinson will be a big boost.

However, the Knicks had a decent showing.  A lot of positives and negatives but the Knicks played hard and like a team.  It’s an encouraging start for this young squad.

New York Knicks: Elfrid Payton wins starting point guard spot by a landslide

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New York Knicks, Knicks

If Dennis Smith Jr. was looking to become the New York Knicks starting point guard for the 2019-20 season, he likely should have brought his A-game to the opener against the San Antonio Spurs. Facing off against a quality team, Smith played just 10 minutes, mainly because he heaved up three ill-advised shots, and connected on a drive to the rim.

Smith finished 1-for-4 with one assist in limited action, but his porous shot selection told his ever-lasting story of bad decisions and mental mistakes. With all of the athletic tools to become a bonafide star, he continues to take low-percentage shots and play with a selfish mentality.

This ultimately allowed Elfrid Payton to take the starting job right out from under him, and he did just that in the Knicks’ first game o the year. Playing 26 minutes, Payton was 4-for-9 with 11 points. His primary influence came on defense, though, as he picked up five steals on the night, earning a +14 +/- rating.

Payton was the spark the Knicks needed to mount a significant comeback and lead the game by seven at one point. With fatigue setting in, the Knicks allowed the Spurs to storm ahead by double digits late in the game, putting a chance a victory out of reach.

The point guard position battle is looking complete for the New York Knicks:

Head coach David Fizdale started his second season with the Knicks featuring a very peculiar starting five. He virtually dropped a point guard from the lineup and tossed Alonzo Trier out there to do a whole lot of nothing. Trier had zero points on three attempts. He was pulled after just seven minutes and didn’t see the floor after his initial start.

Second-year man Kevin Knox earned more playing time as the game went on, hitting back-to-back three-pointers at one point.  He alternated with Marcus Morris a fair amount. Rookie RJ Barrett filled in at the point guard position for a few minutes, given Fizdale’s lack of trust in Smith and Frank Ntilikina, while Payton rested.

The veteran will undoubtedly star the next game for New York, and it’s well deserved after an impressive performance in the loss.

The New York Knicks 2019-20 season preview and prediction

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The 2019-20 New York Knicks season is finally here.  It has been one roller coaster of a summer.  The Knicks were suppose to be the big winner this off-season in free agency and we all know how that played out.

The Knicks did make moves to get the right players for this team.  They’ve added the likes of Julius Randle, Marcus Morris, Bobby Portis, Wayne Ellington and Elfrid Payton.  GM Scott Perry thinks they added to correct players for what the Knicks are trying to accomplish.

The New York Knicks will be battling up-hill all season long.  No one is expecting much out of them this season.  Las Vegas has put the Knicks season win total at 27.5.  The main goal for this season is to continue developing their young core.  This consists of RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and Dennis Smith Jr.

However, that is not going to be the overall goal for this team.  Morris, Portis, Ellington and Payton are on the record talking about their “dog” mentality.  That mentality was present for the first preseason game then absent for the following games.  Maybe that is going to change once the season begins?  Because the Knicks are looking to “shock people.”  They got to back up all their talk from this summer, that’s maybe the biggest thing of all.

If the Knicks do play to their potential, as a team, they are capable of winning at least 30 games.  The playoffs is a gigantic stretch this season.  Anything over 30 wins will be considered a win of a season for the Knicks.

The Knicks also still don’t have a official starting point guard, it’s expected for be announced today.  It’s between Smith Jr. Payton and Ntilikina.  It appears it’s leaning towards Smith Jr. but he isn’t 100% healthy to begin the season.  Not the smartest move throwing him out there.

Coach David Fizdale also mentioned that he will be going with a 10-man rotation.  It makes sense to do that once the season gets rolling but not right off the bat.  The Knicks talked about having one of the deepest benches in the league.  Why would you not rotate everyone and see what works the best?  Some of Fizdale’s decisions are questionable.

The Knicks will be better then what they were last year.  They just can’t play down to opponents or get down on themselves.  Fans already got a glimpse of that in the game against the Washington Wizards at the Garden.  The Knicks didn’t starting really playing hard until the fourth quarter was nearly over.  All we can say was it was preseason but that look like the old Knicks.

The season should be different and better than last season.  The Knicks have to play as a team and grow together.  Fizdale needs to coach to his strengths and have an offensive scheme if they want to make any progress this season.  Our prediction for the New York Knicks, 31-51.

New York Knicks starting point guard is still up-in-the-air

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New York Knicks, Dennis Smith Jr.

New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale is not announcing the start point guard until game day.  This has been a position that has been up-in-the-air from the beginning.

Dennis Smith Jr. was the clear favorite to be the starting point guard.  However, due to his lower back injury, that is now in question.  Smith Jr. is not 100% and his ‘new and improved” is not up to NBA standards.  He shot 2-for-12 from the field in the preseason finale against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Frank Ntilikina and Elfrid Payton both have not separated themselves from one another to require the starting job or more minutes.

Ntilikina is the better defender but his offensive skills are still lacking.  He should get more minutes regardless because he his 7-foot wingspan can be a problem against the opponents guards.

Payton can run the offense smoothly but does not move the needle much offensively or defensively.  He could get the starting nod solely based off his experience.

RJ Barrett is the more interesting part about this point guard scenario.  When was running point, the offense ran the best it has with any other guard.  However, Barrett is not a natural point guard.  If anything, he’s a shooting guard.  Barrett has earned a starting spot regardless.  He continues to improve every game and shows he’s a building block for the foreseeable future.

The Knicks unofficial leader, Julius Randle, has given the edge to Smith Jr. and rightfully so.  His athletic ability, when healthy, makes him a no-brainer to start.   However, with his back still not 100%, the starting spot isn’t his yet.

The New York Knicks will be exploring a variety of guard combinations to begin the season.  The Knicks should start Barrett and Ntilikina because they will give the Knicks the best of both worlds.  Barrett contributes on offense and defense.  Ntilikina is a lock-down defender and has the basketball IQ to make plays when needed.

New York Knicks: RJ Barrett Is The Real Deal

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New York Knicks, RJ Barrett

As the New York Knicks finished preseason basketball one thing stood out clearly. It’s how well RJ Barrett played for long stretches and how physically imposing he is for a 19-year-old rookie. RJ Barrett scored 19-points on 9-12 shooting along with 6-rebounds, 3-assists, one three-pointer, and a block in 36 minutes against the New Orleans Pelicans. RJ Barrett looks legit.

Plenty of scouting reports were either wrong about Barrett’s potential weaknesses or Barrett has improved upon the alleged weaknesses all summer in preparation for his first season as a Knick. His ability to see the floor and find teammates looked phenomenal this preseason. Barrett had a reputation of getting tunnel vision at Duke, however, he showed excellent passing skills and awareness on the offensive end. Defensively, Barrett seemed to be at the right spots as well.

RJ Barrett doesn’t look like he’s a rookie at all and that’s pretty scary. The upside he possesses at 19 years old along with his physique allowing him to play long stretches without being handled with “kid gloves” is tremendous. Fizdale stated how difficult it is to take the Maple Mamba off the court due to his ability to do different things on both sides of the ball to help the team potentially win.

The third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft has proven he’s no laughing stock and he possesses a “takeover” mentality which is needed, especially when playing for the storied franchise, the New York Knicks. Barrett is now a crucial part of the Knicks’ future. This past preseason may not even have displayed Barrett’s best play due to the fact newly acquired Knick players are still getting acclimated with each other. Therefore, don’t be surprised if Barrett improves even more throughout the regular season as he continues getting comfortable with his teammates and coaching staff.

The New York Knicks point guard situation is weird

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New York Knicks, David Fizdale

The point guard scenario for the New York Knicks is very odd.  Coach David Fizdale has been juggling around players running point from the start of training camp.

Fizdale starting and sitting guards throughout the preseason.  He starts one, sits the other.  Fizdale is trying to see what combo work the best.  However, it’s the preseason.  Why can’t you play them all and rotate them through each game?  It seems like sitting someone for one game is doing more harm than good.

Elfrid Payton said that, “There on the same page.”  That may be true for the them but it has fans scratching their heads.

Frank Ntilikina didn’t play Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans as Payton got the minutes, and vice versa last week against the Atlanta Hawks.  Ntilikina’s showed he deserved more minutes after bouncing back after in the second half of the Hawks game and shutting down Trae Young.  Yes, he’s offense still needs a lot of work but he’s the Knicks best defensive guard.

Allonzo Trier has hardly played at all this preseason.  But finally got more time in the final preseason game and proved he deserves more time.

Dennis Smith Jr. is not looking like this explosive player due to his back injury.  He’s rusty, even though he worked all summer.  Rest him until he’s good to go.  Plus, his new and improved shot needs more work.

RJ Barrett is really the stand out when running point.  The offense looks more fluid and has an extra boost of energy.  Barrett’s defense also continues to improve each game, just like every other aspect of his game.

Payton is able to run the offense well but that’s it.  He did perform well with the Pelicans, posting five triple-doubles last season with them.  His offensive capabilities are there but not consistent.

The starting guards for the opener is still a toss up.  But, the best option for the New York Knicks is to start Frank Ntilikina and RJ Barrett.  The two can split time bringing the ball up and it gives the team the best of both worlds.

Barrett can provide offense and defense while pushing the ball up the floor with an upbeat response from his teammates.  Ntilikina can then lock down defenders and have good vision to dish the ball.  His 7-foot wingspan can be a problem for guards, case-in-point shutting down Young in the second half last Wednesday.

Smith Jr. is not 100% and shouldn’t get the start if he isn’t healthy.  Barrett and Ntilikina should start and then rotate in Trier and Payton.  The Knicks need to get a good flow with them until Smith Jr. is healthy enough to get into the mix.

New York Knicks: RJ Barrett is the real deal and he’s showing us why

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New York Knicks, RJ Barrett

Rookie players in the NBA rarely get off to productive starts without any minor speedbumps. Typically, those hurdles are at the expense of their physical makeup and if their bodies are ready to compete against grown men. For players like New York Knicks 3rd overall pick RJ Barrett, that’s a challenge he will inevitably face, similar to Kevin Knox.

Having a physical disadvantage shouldn’t deter aggressiveness or confidence, and those are two things Barrett doesn’t lack. He has taken the reigns at times and attacked the rim with force, proving he’s not afraid to be the player he was in college, averaging 22.6 points per game.

Barrett has slowly developed into himself this preseason, finishing 9-for-12 with 19 points against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. He also managed three assists to help move the ball around the floor and show the “point guard” mentality that he has.

The Duke product was extremely efficient with his passing in college, which needs to be a focal point of his game moving forward. Having the ability to contribute to his teammates and not be selfish is essential in the NBA, and he’s already starting the on the right foot.

What makes the New York Knicks rookie so appealing?

His overall health and work ethic are the most attractive parts of RJ Barrett right now. He handled 36 minutes against the Hawks with ease, proving that he can remain active and not pick up minor injuries by being reckless with the ball. He’s a smart player that understands the nature of the game, and he’s quickly learning how to take high-percentage shots and having caution with the ball in his hands.

Barrett knows why the Knicks drafted him — to bully his way into the paint and make contact.

“I feel like the knicks drafted me because they knew what I could do,” the third overall pick said. “That’s my game. I could do that at any level. I’m going to continue to do that.”

Head coach David Fizdale has been delighted with how his rookie looks so far in the preseason. The maturity and development he’s shown in such a short amount of time are exciting.

“I said it, man, he doesn’t look like a rookie,” coach David Fizdale said. “He’s a tough kid. He really knows how to play and he’s fearless.“

If you’re a Knicks fan, you should be looking forward to the future, because this kid has all of the tools in his tool-box.

This New York Knicks team has an up-and-down attitude to them

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New York Kicks, Allonzo Trier

As fans know, the newest member of the New York Knicks said, “we ain’t taking no sh*t.”  Marcus Morris is trying to be the ring leader in bringing the toughness back to the Garden.

Morris has a gritty, hard-nose, no non-sense mentality.  It appeared in the first preseason game, where he was ejected at the start of the 3rd quarter.  Morris made it very clear that the Knicks ain’t playing.

Kevin Durant came out and criticized the Knicks for not being cool and they responded.  Typically, the Knicks might not have said anything.  This new attitude they have is appealing.  The fans can thank Morris.

Morris’ type of attitude might be contagious to other players on the team.

Julius Randle spoke to reporters about Durant’s comments and the expectations for the Knicks this season.  Morris’ attitude could be rubbing off on Randle.  He said he “doesn’t care” about expectations and that people have been talking about him for all of his six-year career.  The “I don’t care” attitude could translate to the court with their aggressive play on both sides of the ball.

How Randle spoke to reporters had a Morris vibe to it.  Lets not forget, the two spoke together at media day.

Bobby Portis, has had his fair share of attitude problems in the league.  He has gotten into it with teammates and doesn’t back down to anyone on the court.  Portis, along with Morris, just has that demeanor about them where you don’t want to cross them.  This is something that the Knicks have been lacking on the court.

This New York Knicks team will not be backing down from any opponent this season.  They have an air about them where they really aren’t doing to take any sh*t from anyone, except the Atlanta Hawks.

The Knicks also have an attitude of not been fully into to the game.  That was apparent with their play against the Hawks on Wednesday.  Let’s hope that it this team isn’t energetic one game then out-of-it the next.  It seems like it could be that way.  A lot of “dog” talk, no bites just plenty of barking.