Knicks Hot Takes After 1st Week of 2022-23 NBA Season
Technically, you could have scripted a better opening week of the 2022-23 NBA season for the New York Knicks, but it's been wholly encouraging nonetheless.
They have twice faced teams they should beat—the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic—and handled each one by double digits. Their lone blemish was a three-point loss in a game they trailed by as many as 19 points against the Memphis Grizzlies, which finished second in the Western Conference last season.
So, yeah, life is pretty great in the Empire State right now.
Who knows if things will stay this way, but let's ride the early wave with a round of spicy hot takes.
Perpetual Problems at Point Guard Are Fixed
New York's lead guard spot—arguably the most important position in the sport—had proved a glaring void year after year. But the Knicks might have just solved this perpetual puzzle with one single seasoning.
Jalen Brunson, who landed in the Big Apple by way of a four-year, $104 million pact this summer, has been everything the franchise could have hoped for and more.
The 26-year-old's stat sheet is essentially an endless stream of personal bests. Among his many career highs are his 17.7 points and 7.0 assists per game. Even more impressive has been his efficiency. That scoring has come with a tidy 46.7/41.7/75.0 shooting slash. The distribution has been buoyed by such sharp decision-making that he's coughing up just a single turnover per game.
If Brunson finds a little more juice with his scoring, he could book his first All-Star trip this February. Even if he doesn't, though, the New York fans should be thrilled with his strong play across the board.
Cam Reddish Looks Like a Keeper
Last season was a strange one for Cam Reddish.
The former lottery pick (No. 10 in 2019) was sent packing by the team that drafted him, the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks, which sacrificed a first-round pick in the exchange, couldn't find him a rotation spot at first; and shortly after he landed one, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
Reddish's future appeared—and likely remains—very much up in the air, but he's giving the Knicks plenty to think about at the start of this contract year.
Opportunity knocked with Quentin Grimes' foot injury, and Reddish has jumped on the chance. He had 22 points and three steals in the opener, and while his individual numbers have quieted since, he enters Wednesday night as a plus-14 over his last two outings.
Reddish is only 23 years old and physically gifted, so if the Knicks think he is turning the corner, they'll have to seriously consider keeping him around.
Frontcourt Changes Are Still Worth Considering
With the way things are going, the Knicks are unlikely to rock the boat in any meaningful manner.
It might be an idea worth kicking around on a slow afternoon, though.
As good as Julius Randle (21.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists) and Mitchell Robinson (84.6 percent shooting, seven of the team's 14 blocks) have been, it's hard not to wonder whether their backups could be even better.
Obi Toppin, the No. 8 pick in 2020, keeps doing what he has done throughout his two-plus seasons: produce when called upon. His 57.1 field-goal percentage is a career high, as are his per-36-minutes marks of 21 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists, per Basketball-Reference. Free-agency addition Isaiah Hartenstein, meanwhile, is up to 13.1 points and 12.6 rebounds per 36 minutes.
While Randle and Robinson have posted a solid plus-5.8 net rating across their 63 minutes together, per NBA.com, Toppin and Hartenstein have delivered an enormous plus-36.2 in their shared 44 minutes.
The sample sizes might be way too small to totally trust, but if the Knicks ever sense they might be bumping into their ceiling, then calling for more Toppin and Hartenstein might be one way to raise it.