Knicks 8-3 over last 11 games
The Knicks are starting to find their groove. Following last night's 106-98 win over the Kings the Knicks improved to 11-9 on the season and 9-3 at the Garden. It's the first time in over four years that the Knicks have been two games over .500. It took them a while, but this team is finally coming together to look like the playoff team many expected to be entering this season. They're now 8-3 over their last 11 games.
One of the biggest reasons for the Knick's run of late has been the play of Derrick Rose. Rose may never again be the MVP player he was in 2010-11, but he's playing some really good basketball for the Knicks right now. First of all he's healthy. He's played every game this season and has shown he still has plenty left in tank. The explosiveness is still there and he's gotten better as the season has progressed. He's averaging 17/5/4 per game. Those numbers might not scream vintage Derrick Rose, but he has shown flashes of the perennial All-Star he once was. For the first time in years the Knicks finally have a playmaker at the point guard position. Rose wows every night with his drives to the basket and his ability to get into the paint making plays for himself and his teammates. His jump shot could use some improvement, but he's been everything the Knicks could have possibly hoped for when they made the trade in the offseason.
Another reason for the turnaround has been the play of the second unit. In the absence of Joakim Noah Kyle O'Quinn has shined in his opportunities to start. His offseason weight loss has clearly paid dividends in his second season with the Knicks. He's been an offensive rebounding machine of late and has provided scoring that Noah has yet to give the Knicks in his first season.
Brandon Jennings has been just as important as the lead guard off the bench. Jennings leads the team in assists with five a game in just 21 minutes a night. He's the best distributor on the team and he's coming off his highest scoring game of the season with 19 last night against the Kings. Jennings struggled mightily from the field with his jump shot early in the season, but he seems to be turning things around as his shooting percentage nears the 40% mark. Jeff Hornacek and the coaching staff have continued to encourage Jennings to shoot the ball when he's open instead of over passing like he did in November. Jennings is a proven scorer in this league who can get hot and carry a team for stretches during a game when he has things going. He has yet to show it consistently with the Knicks, but when he does it will only make this team even more dangerous offensively.
In just 20 games Kristaps Porzingis has already scored 25 points or more six times after reaching that mark only five times in his rookie season. KP is already a star in New York, but he's on the verge of superstardom in just his second season in the league. Every game he does something we've never seen from him before. When you watch his offensive highlights you see all the different ways he can score the basketball. We've all seen his shooting ability from 3 point range and his poster dunks, but he's shown much more than that this season. At 7'3 KP has a skill set the league as never seen before. He's a mismatch for anyone who tries to guard him. He has shown the ability to beat guys off the dribble or use his height advantage to shoot over defenders. On defense he still has work to do avoiding foul trouble, but every game he is showing his potential as a rim protector. Even on an off shooting night KP showed he could still have a huge impact on a game. He shot 6-18 from the field, but he still finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. KP has had some incredible highlight blocks of late, but what you don't see in the box score is how many shots he disrupts. He still needs to get stronger so he can fight for rebounds and guard underneath against the leagues top big men, but that will come in the next couple years. The ceiling is so high for KP and he's not even close to reaching his full potential. A welcome sight for the Knicks. A scary one for the rest of the NBA.
The Knicks will head to Miami tomorrow night for a road game they should win against the struggling Heat. If the Knicks want to be a serious playoff team these are the games you have to take care of business. It's the first game of a back to back that will finish with the Knicks at home hosting the defending champion Cavaliers and Lebron James. The Garden will be packed on Wednesday night in what is one of the biggest games the Knicks have played in a while. It's going to be a huge test especially on a back to back, but they need to worry about getting a win in Miami first.
