Last Week: Lost to Denver Nuggets 114-89, Lost to Charlotte Hornets 109-88, Lost to Brooklyn Nets 116-109, Lost to Cleveland Cavaliers 106-103
This Week: 1/17 at Boston Celtics, 1/18 vs. Orlando Magic, 1/21 at Golden State Warriors, 1/22 at Sacramento Kings
The other team with a five-game losing streak, the New York Knicks seem to be struggling just as soon as everyone wanted to celebrate what a fun story they have been so far this season. The issue for the team currently is that a week ago most of the roster seemed to be gelling together and clicking against the lower-tier teams in the league. This week was a different story.
Only Julius Randle excelled throughout the week, averaging 24.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists a night over the four games. RJ Barrett continues to struggle to string together good games. One night he will look like the number three overall pick from a year ago (20 points on 12 shots against the Cavaliers to end the week) but that is typically after a couple of duds (combined 20 points while shooting 29.0 percent from the filed against the Charlotte Hornets and Denver Nuggets).
Things may start looking up in terms of on court product, if not in the standings. Obi Toppin came back this week. As he works his way back into the rotation, it will be intriguing to see something out of the number eight pick in this year’s draft. The Knicks other first round selection, Immanuel Quickley, has already done just that. Over this week he averaged 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and has looked better than his numbers indicate. As he continues to develop his feel for the NBA speed, he will continue to shine on the court.