The Knicks don’t have very many weak spots.
Their guard play is prime of the road. Their wings are among the finest within the league. And their middle could be essentially the most harmful perimeter menace within the recreation.
The again court docket depth is sneaky good, too: Miles McBride and Cam Payne are flamethrowers from downtown. Valuable Achiuwa is a flexible entrance court docket participant, too.
Full cease.
If there’s been one vulnerability for a Knicks staff hoping to be the final standing on the finish of the season, it’s behind Karl-Anthony Cities at middle. With Mitchell Robinson nonetheless on the mend recovering from offseason ankle surgical procedure, New York has restricted choices at their disposal till his return.
Which made for an unpleasant recreation on Saturday, when Cities sat resulting from what the staff listed as patellar tendinopathy in his proper knee.
With out him, the Knicks misplaced to a new-and-improved Detroit Pistons staff, 120-111, at Madison Sq. Backyard regardless of having a stacked beginning 4. As a result of one lacking domino could make all of the distinction, and it was on Saturday to cease a four-game profitable streak in its tracks.
The Knicks gained 9 of their earlier 11 video games earlier than the Pistons handed them an L on their very own house ground.
With out Cities, head coach Tom Thibodeau turned to Jericho Sims, whose roller-coaster journey of a season took a flip for the worst in opposition to the Pistons.
Sims bought the beginning and performed the primary six minutes. After various blunders, he by no means noticed the court docket for the remainder of the sport.
It was the second straight first quarter stuffed with head-scratching moments for Sims, an uber-athletic 7-footer who owns the league’s highest defensive subject objective share on the rim amongst facilities — a stat Thibodeau loves to say — units exhausting screens and may leap out of the gymnasium, however has nonetheless but to place it collectively together with his decision-making on the ground.
On Thursday in opposition to the Charlotte Hornets, for instance, Sims obtained a move on the prime of the three-point line, dribbled towards the paint, and as a substitute of trying a dunk or a end on the rim, dedicated the cardinal basketball sin of jump-passing, just for the ball to be intercepted and switch right into a transition alternative for the opponent.
On Saturday in opposition to the Pistons, he drove to the rim from the three-point line once more, solely this time, he misplaced the ball altogether, a turnover that despatched Thibodeau right into a rage of fury.
Thibodeau pulled Sims and by no means went again to him. He completed the sport with one help, zero factors and 0 rebounds.
Thibodeau then turned to Ariel Hukporti, the 58th and remaining decide within the 2024 NBA Draft.
Hukporti had much more success than Sims, who set the bar on beneath the hardwood ground: He was the recipient of two alley-oop lob passes from Jalen Brunson, and in addition scored on a face-up drive from the foul line to the rim.
Hukporti completed with 9 factors on an ideal four-of-four taking pictures from the sector, however was out of place on a handful of defensive rotations. The Pistons took benefit of a Knicks staff missing an inside presence, moving into the paint with ease, solely to spray out to three-point shooters who made 18 of their 36 makes an attempt from deep at The Backyard on Saturday.
Achiuwa closed the sport at middle and helped the Knicks go on a late run, however Thibodeau likes to play the versatile large man at energy ahead. He completed with 10 rebounds off the bench to go together with six factors and 4 assists in 27 minutes of motion.
The Knicks outscored the Pistons by 10 in Achiuwa’s minutes however have been outscored by 9 in Sims’ six minutes and 13 in Hukporti’s time on the ground.
All of the whereas, Robinson sat on the bench watching as his staff tried to outlive an harm to Cities.
The Knicks can maintain one large man happening, however two accidents at middle is likely one of the larger fears for a staff that seems teflon elsewhere on the roster.
Brunson scored a team-high 31 factors, Mikal Bridges added 20 factors and Josh Hart and OG Anunoby every scored 17 factors. Officers ejected Hart after he picked up his second technical foul with below 90 seconds left in regulation.
In the meantime, level of assault protection reared its head as a priority as soon as extra. The Knicks had no reply for Cade Cunningham, who was on the verge of a first-half triple double and completed the sport with 29 factors, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. Malik Beasley got here off the bench and hit seven 3s for 23 factors, and all 5 Pistons starters scored in double figures.
Cities’ harm isn’t believed to be a long-term concern, and Achiuwa ought to see his minutes ramp up after making his season debut on Friday after a preseason hamstring harm.
Robinson, a rim-protecting dominant rebounder, is anticipated to return in January. The Knicks had higher hope Cities can keep wholesome till his return. With out him, they’re nonetheless a loaded offensive staff, however their evident vulnerability shall be on the 5, and groups will take benefit.
The Pistons did on Saturday.
