New York Knicks: Lance Thomas’ Return Helps Knicks’ Small-Ball

With Lance Thomas continuing to find his groove, the New York Knicks have the pieces to thrive with smaller lineups.

With a 14-12 record, it’s weird to say the New York Knicks have been playing well. Before this current two-game losing streak, the Knicks had been playing well enough to stay in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff field.

Considering the team’s newcomers on the floor and on the bench, plus the overall pessimism about the team’s ability to jell, that’s a good thing.

Kristaps Porzingis has emerged as New York’s best player in the present and the future, showing elite two-way potential at the center position. Carmelo Anthony is still good and outside of the Joakim Noah debacle, guys like Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday and Courtney Lee have played well enough to help the Knicks win games after being acquired in the offseason.

One of the more unheralded moves of Jackson’s recent offseason was re-signing Lance Thomas, and after his return from injury, the Knicks have another weapon in their arsenal towards being good and remaining in the thick of the Eastern Conference race.

For $28 million over four years, Thomas gets a chance to build upon his promising 2015-16 campaign as a solid small forward option. After playing seven of the team’s first eight games, Thomas missed 10 games with an injury. His return has been modest, as evidenced by his Player Efficiency Rating of 6.2.

However, Thomas’ ability to space the floor is sound. After doubt about his breakout season behind the arc, Lance has started off well this season, shooting 42 percent from three. He’ll never be a focal point on offense, but he’s valuable as a catch-and-shoot player.

When Derrick Rose drives into a brick wall at the rim, or Carmelo Anthony looks to move the ball, Thomas in the corner is a sound option.

Offensively, the Knicks have been centered around Rose, Anthony and occasionally Kristaps Porzingis. Jeff Hornacek and crew have incorporated Porzingis more in the second unit, allowing him to get more shot attempts and playing time with Brandon Jennings. T

homas fits into that equation as well, serving as a power forward in that lineup, allowing the Knicks to play small and get Porzingis antiquated with the center position.

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Defensively, it gives New York another versatile defensive piece, something they need. Porzingis’ success aside, the Knicks rank 25th in the league in defensive efficiency. The Knicks have a ton of negative defenders on the roster playing a ton of minutes. Guys like Lee, Thomas, and O’Quinn can’t handle the majority of the minutes to help elevate that defensive rating. 

Thomas is an underrated defender, not great, but an active defender on the perimeter and smart off the ball. He’ll never be able to defend elite wing players, but against average to decent ones, Thomas can hold his own. Along with Courtney Lee and Justin Holiday, that’s three players who can defend on the perimeter and stifle wing players.

Ultimately, that’s what the Knicks need.

With Joakim Noah’s rapid decline, New York’s best bet as surviving in the Eastern Conference is playing Anthony at power forward and Porzingis at center for long spurts at a time. You can incorporate other guys — Willy Hernangomez and O’Quinn have both provided solid minutes recently — but the Knicks are going as far as those two can carry you. 

There’s been success with lineups of Anthony and Porzingis at the top. Last season, the best Thomas-Anthony-Porzingis five-man group had an offensive rating of 1.10 and a defensive rating of 0.95 per possession. That’s with Arron Afflalo and Langston Galloway with them, too. Rose and Lee are better than both players.

We’ve even seen it in spurts this season. The lineup of Rose, Lee, Holiday, Anthony, and Porzingis has an offensive rating of 1.28 and a defensive rating of 0.85 in 13 minutes. That’s a small amount of time, but the idea of a slashing point guard and two 3-and-D shooters around Anthony and Porzingis succeeding doesn’t seem crazy.

The New York Knicks are fourth in a mangled Eastern Conference. A conference with several teams bunched together within the four through eight spots. While the Knicks are playing well, there is room for improvement. A better third point guard is one, but the other is playing more Porzingis at center and moving Anthony to the power forward slot.

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And unlike other Knick teams in recent memory, the Knicks are more equipped to deploy that lineup with Thomas, Holiday and Lee playing off them as solid 3-and-D complements on the perimeter.