Knicks Hot Takes After 1st Month of 2022-23 NBA Season
The New York Knicks were aiming to make the 2022-23 NBA season their turnaround campaign after a rough go in 2021-22.
That isn't happening. At least, nothing we've seen through the first month suggests this group is on the verge of a rebound.
The Knicks are aimlessly driving down a road to nowhere, and something needs to shake this organization out of it.
Let's run through a few early hot takes in search of that solution.
Obi Toppin Needs Starter Minutes
Two-plus years have passed since the Knicks made Obi Toppin the eighth overall pick of the 2020 draft.
It's way past time they figure out exactly what they have in the bouncy big man.
The 24-year-old has yet to crack 30 minutes this season and only once spent more than half the game on the hardwood.
It would be one thing if he was really struggling, but his stat sheet looks as strong as ever. His per-36-minutes averages include 20.2 points (on 49.1 percent shooting), 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 threes (on 42.4 percent), 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals, per Basketball-Reference.
Look, it's possible those stats wouldn't sustain if he actually handled that heavy of a workload, but maybe they could. He was, statistically speaking, awesome on the rare occasion when he logged major minutes last season.
The Knicks need to know if Toppin can be a focal point or not.
Time to Move on from Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau has a history of delivering instant results to a team but struggling to retain that same influence over time.
That's not necessarily what's happening here, but the Knicks had a .569 winning percentage in his first season and have seen that number slip to .458 in the season-plus since.
The defense has worsened in each season he's been at the helm (down to 23rd now, per NBA.com), and he has never been the most creative coach on offense. Some of his rotation decisions are questionable at best, like leaving Toppin tethered to the bench and continuing to lean on an underperforming Evan Fournier.
While Thibodeau is clearly presiding over a flawed roster, that doesn't excuse the lackluster results. A new voice and new philosophy might be just what this locker room needs to snap out of this funk.
A Major Trade Is Overdue
Without some type of change, the Knicks are at risk of getting stuck in the NBA's middle.
That's the last place teams want to be. You aren't good enough to compete for a title, and you aren't bad enough to bottom out and get the best lottery odds.
New York needs to choose a direction. If it thinks it can compete for something more with this core, then package some draft picks and prospects together and go find a disgruntled star. If it sees a low ceiling for this group, then it should dangle win-now veterans for long-term assets that can eventually help raise the roof.
Either way, something has to give, because the current path leads to nowhere.