Key advantage that Knicks must resurrect to stay afloat amid injuries

10/25/2024 11:17 AM

Let’s be honest, the New York Knicks appeared unprepared to play the defending champion Boston Celtics on opening night. They allowed the Celtics to tie an NBA record for made three-pointers (19). And they clearly lacked chemistry. But rebounding is another, possibly bigger, hurdle that New York will continue to deal with until at least Precious Achiuwa returns from a hamstring strain.

What happened to the Knicks’ front line?

New York was out rebounded 40-34. Yes, Achiuwa and his 7.2 rebounds per game in 2023-24 will be missed for at least the next 2-4 weeks. And yes, Mitchell Robinson and his 8.5 rebounds per game will be sidelined for even longer, until January 2025.

Furthermore, the Knicks’ trade for Karl-Anthony Towns cost the team Julius Randle, who added 9.2 rebounds per game last season. And Isaiah Hartenstein’s signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder left the Knicks thin at the center position.

But rebounding is about communication and effort, and both were lacking on opening night.

A look at the 2024 playoffs provides a revealing microcosm. New York won every game in which they won the rebounding battle, and lost every game in which they were out rebounded. That might seem intuitive, but it is rarely as cut-and-dry as it was for New York.

To be fair, the Celtics were second in rebounding last season (46.3 rebounds per game). New York held them to 11 offensive rebounds, which is right about what they averaged in 2023-24 average (10.7)—although that shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise considering how few misses there were for Boston.

New York also managed to keep Boston to just 29 defensive rebounds, which is fewer than what they averaged last season (35.6). So, that is a small victory in itself.

Still, the Knicks obviously struggled on the offensive glass. They collected only five offensive boards, which is more than a 50% drop from the 12.7 they averaged a season ago.

Poor rebounding from active Knicks 

The Knicks deficiencies are about more than just a few missing players. New York averaged 45.2 rebounds per game in 2023-24 (fifth in the NBA) and led the entire league in offensive rebound percentage.

However, when push came to shove, the active roster failed to hold up their end of the bargain. New addition Karl-Anthony Towns grabbed seven rebounds, three fewer than what he’s averaged through his career. Josh Hart grabbed only four,  four fewer than what he corralled last season. Mikal Bridges normally chips in nearly four per game, and he grabbed zero.

Ultimately, the only player who outperformed their career average was Jericho Sims (nine).

Knicks need to design lineups deliberately

Like it or not, the Knicks are thin up front. They have only three active players who stand six-foot-ten or taller, two of whom are relatively inexperienced: Towns, Sims, and Ariel Hukporti. The first step in improved rebounding is to ensure that at least one of them is on the floor at all times. But that’s a fairly obvious solution, and it was already the case in their opening night loss.

Coach Tom Thibodeau will have to get creative in who plays with whom. The Knicks must carefully spread their strong rebounders across lineups to supplement their big men, situationally.

For example, if the Knicks believe that Towns matches up poorly (from a rebounding standpoint) with Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner in Game 2, they should ensure that Hart, who is an above average rebounder for his size and position, remains on the floor alongside Towns for most of his minutes.

If Thibodeau notices that the team rebounds better with two big men on the floor (e.g., Towns and Sims), he must try it out, too. Ultimately, this is the time to task risks, because—as mentioned above—bad things happen for New York when they’re out-rebounded.

When dealing with a small front court, play a bigger back court 

The Knicks are obviously hamstrung regarding their big men. However, Thibodeau could see success in resorting to bigger back courts. Unfortunately, that means fewer Miles McBride-Jalen Brunson minutes. And it probably also means no Brunson-Payne minutes. It probably means Tyler Kolek will be relegated to garbage time, as well.

Instead, Thibodeau will have to lean on Bridges, Anunoby, and Hart even more than he normally does. He should also experiment with lineups like this one: McBride, Jalen Brunson, Hart, Sims, and Towns. That’s made possible thanks to Towns’ shooting.

Long story short, Thibodeau and the team will have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. In other words, they’re going to have to play out of position and ask more from certain players than they normally do, which, in some cases, was already a lot.

Explore all available free agents

The Knicks are presently engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with the new rules that govern the salary cap. NBA rules permit teams to carry fewer than 14 players for as many as 28 days during the regular season, and for up to 14 consecutive days. Currently, New York has only 12 healthy players.

However, financial implications aside, the Knicks might want to consider adding another player (e.g., one on a two-way contract) to their active roster, at least until Achiuwa returns. Someone like TJ Warren, who was recently waived by the Knicks, makes a lot of sense. The six-foot-eight forward averaged 6.3 rebounder per-36 minutes in 2023-24. And the nine-year veteran adds poise to a front court with a number of younger neophytes.

At the end of the day, New York simply needs their current roster to be better on the glass. They have to take pride in boxing out and locating loose balls. And they have to be far more communicative with one another.

The remedy is much easier said than done. But the Knicks options are limited until Achiuwa returns. Hopefully what stood out as a differentiator for the good last season doesn’t swing back and hurt the Knicks this season. But one thing’s for sure, we need more than one game to accurately gauge what’s next.

New York is next in action against the Indiana Pacers at home on Friday night.

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