SNYs Ian Begley will respond to Knicks questions from readers. Here is the latest…
Do the Knicks internally see the KAT/Mitch (or some other rim protector) frontcourt as a real feature of the team? Thibs has yet to play KAT and Sims together despite the defensive struggles. Are they 100% fully committed to KAT at 5 or are they ready to make that pivot? – @GreenPandaGP
I can’t answer this question definitively but I don’t think the Knicks would pivot from play Karl-Anthony Towns in the center I can say with confidence that New York will want to see lineups with Towns and Mitchell Robinson on the floor together, if possible. Robinson is currently rehabilitating from foot surgery. If/when he returns to the floor, he will likely come off the bench at first. I can’t see him starting right away. But I do think the Knicks want to see how a Towns/Robinson front court performs.
Last season, the Timberwolves had a lot of success with Towns at power forward and Rudy Gobert in the center Towns played power play for 95 percent of his 2,000-plus minutes last year, according to Basketball Reference. The Knicks obviously don’t want Towns playing power play 95 percent of the time this year. But I do think they’d like to see how lineups work with Towns and Robinson.
Could it be that Mitch is being pre-planned in his rehab? We need him desperately. What is the injury update on McCullar? Any timeline on return? – @MendozaTweets
Last time I checked, Robinson’s rehab was going well. The Knicks projected his possible return for December/January. They don’t want to bring him back until he’s fully healthy. So I don’t think there’s any rush to get him back earlier than the December/January window.
I don’t have an update Kevin McCullar Jr.
Anything new to tell us [on Precious Achiuwa]?? – @daly_a_
Nothing new about Precious Achiuwathe hamstring of . Tom Thibodeau said on Wednesday that Achiuwa had not been released for contact. The Knicks announced on Oct. 20 that Achiuwa would be reevaluated in 2-to-4 weeks — this Sunday is the four-week mark from the initial announcement.
Does the FO think the team needs more time to settle in or are there issues that can only be resolved through a trade? – @Tejester4
I’d be lying to you if I said I knew exactly what the entire Knicks front office thought of the team. But the sense I get from conversations over the past few weeks is that there is no rush to do business. The team is obviously incomplete at the moment. Achiuwa and Robinson are gone. Landry Shamet still rehabilitating his dislocated shoulder. (If Shamet can go back, I still believe the Knicks will strongly consider re-signing him.)
The big question, to me, is whether the Knicks can wait another month or two for Robinson to return. In a perfect world, the Knicks stack wins over the next few weeks, Robinson returns healthy and bolsters the rotation. But things are rarely perfect in the NBA.
The Knicks (5-6) were not put together to hover around .500. So if these struggles continue, the team might be more apt to make a move.
But from what we’ve seen so far, I think they’ll be fine throughout the season. (Feel free to let @OldTakesExposed know if I’m wrong.)
One factor in my thinking? Jalen Brunson‘s early season numbers . He is averaging 24 points on 46 percent shooting and hitting 38 percent of his threes in the first 10 games of the season. If you’ve watched the games, you know Brunson doesn’t play up to the standard he’s established. The Knicks (5-6) did not appear as a team.
But if the past two seasons are any indication, Brunson may be heating up.
Last yearBrunson averaged 22.6 points on 42 percent shooting in the first 10 games. The Knicks went 5-5 in those games. We all know how the rest of the season played out. In 2022-23, Brunson averaged 19.7 points on 50 percent shooting in the first 10 games. But he hit just 30 percent of his threes and the Knicks started that season 5-5. He finished the season averaging 24 points and shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc.
Of course, these are three different teams with very different expectations. But lately history tells you that Brunson should be fine.
