Why Knicks' crowded wing rotation is a concern to monitor all season

In the past month, Knicks players Josh Hart and Quentin Grimes have voiced concerns with their role on the team. The complaints have centered around feeling involved in the offense.

“It feels like if I don’t hit the shot, I’m coming out,” Grimes said after New York’s loss to Milwaukee earlier this month. “So every shot I shoot probably weighs like 100 pounds if I don’t make it.”

The complaints highlight two difficulties that Knicks perimeter role players face. New York has an offense that annually finds itself in the bottom five in the NBA in assists, adding more pressure for players to produce despite the ball being in their hands rarely.

The other problem is there are only 96 minutes available at the two wing positions combined, making for a very competitive crowd. Hart, Grimes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Donte DiVincenzo. 

If you’re not playing well, there’s a multitude of options to go to.

The life of a Knicks role player is difficult. New York’s offense centers primarily around Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle - and Barrett to a lesser degree. Role players have to find the right path of orbit around the two stars. Make open shots and play defense is the ethos of a supporting player on a Thibodeau-led team.

It’s caused a minute crunch that we have seen play out from game to game. Coach Tom Thibodeau has opted to go with the hot hand and closed games with different lineups around Brunson and Randle.

There was the comeback win against the Miami Heat when Quickley had 20 points and closed the game. Even after losing his spot in the starting lineup, Grimes saw a majority of the fourth quarter minutes in New York’s win on Monday against the Toronto Raptors.

Grimes’ replacement DiVincenzo, was on the floor for just 19 minutes in New York’s Friday night win against the Phoenix Suns and nearly 22 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers last night. A sixth man, Quickley has played under 20 minutes in five of his last seven games and is averaging nearly five minutes per game less this year from last season.

Coaching style a central reason

When the Knicks traded power forward Obi Toppin, playing time was always an issue for the former lottery draft pick. Toppin was stuck behind Randle on New York’s power forward depth chart but quietly, another reason was at play for Toppin’s lack of playing time.

New York almost exclusively plays a traditional center on the floor at all times. If Randle or Toppin never moved up to the five in small lineups, there would be no opportunity for Toppin to sneak minutes in alternative ways.

Now in Indiana, Toppin is playing a career-high 23.7 minutes with the Pacers. Primarily a starter at the power forward, 12 percent of Toppin’s minutes have come at the center in small ball lineups withIndiana according to Basketball Reference. With the Knicks, that number never reached higher than two percent in a season.

DiVincenzo's arrival this season has only put more strain on the rotation with several players deserving minutes. And it has only put more of a spotlight on Thibodeau’s lack of versatile lineups.

After Mitchell Robinson’s recent ankle surgery, Thibodeau has opted to start third year center Jericho Sims the last four games while keeping Isaiah Hartenstein in a reserve role. In the four games Sims has started, the Knicks have been outscored by 16.4 points per 100 possessions in the 75 minutes the young big has been on the floor, per NBA Stats.

The Knicks are giving up 131.2 points per 100 possessions in that time which would be last in the NBA. As an alternative to minutes with Sims, the Knicks could explore playing Randle at the five while getting Quickley, DiVincenzo and Grimes more minutes in smaller lineups with better spacing.

Wins quiet any player grumblings. The Knicks have the sixth best record in the Eastern Conference at 14-11. But if the team ever hits a significant losing streak or struggles, this kind of small tension can bubble to the surface and become a larger story.