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New York Knicks: 5 takeaways from recent homestand

By Kenneth Teape

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 19: Kyle O'Quinn #9 of the New York Knicks and Jerian Grant #2 of the Chicago Bulls after the game on March 19, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 19: Kyle O'Quinn #9 of the New York Knicks and Jerian Grant #2 of the Chicago Bulls after the game on March 19, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks: 5 takeaways from recent homestand
Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images /

1. Odd coaching rotations

At this time of the season, you will see some odd decisions by head coaches. Rotations will change and minutes will be inconsistent. There are a lot of factors that go into those decisions. For the Knicks, seeing the younger players in games is a reason for the changes. However, the rotations that Jeff Hornacek has used are odd, to say the least.

Troy Williams has played well since the Knicks signed him to a 10-day contract after the Houston Rockets waived him. He played well enough that he signed a second 10-day contract and eventually landed a two-year deal.

Williams is one of the players you would imagine the Knicks would want to see more of, but he played six minutes against Toronto and didn’t get on the court against Charlotte. In the other three games, he played at least 20 minutes.

Frank Ntilikina played at least 20 minutes in every game since the All-Star break leading up to the homestand, including 33 against the Milwaukee Bucks prior to the stretch of home games and 32 against the Raptors. For whatever reason, he played no more than 24 the next four games, including 16 against the Mavericks and 13 against the 76ers.

Lance Thomas missed some games for personal reasons, but played at least 21 minutes in each game he appeared in. Isaiah Hicks had a DNP and two games he played 14 minutes or fewer in. Luke Kornet played 34 minutes when Kanter was sidelined, but only 25 the remainder of the homestand, which included two DNPs. Damyean Dotson played 35 minutes the whole homestand with a high of nine minutes.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 23

For a team that is evaluating younger talent, Jeff Hornacek sure has a weird way of doing it. Why some veterans such as Kanter, Lee and Jack had their minutes cut while Kyle O’Quinn, Beasley, Thomas and Hardaway Jr. see very little change in their minutes is anyone’s guess.

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