Forty days is what separates us today from the end of the 2021-22 regular season. A month and a half before the Playoffs – or the Lottery – each franchise honed its weapons during the trade deadline on February 10, then recently took advantage of a week of All-Star Break to ask itself some essential questions. to a regular end in the nails. The objectives are not the same everywhere, of course, but we also quickly settled on the main themes of the six weeks ahead of us, by selecting for each franchise three small questions, three ideas to develop. Non-exhaustive choice of course because otherwise it never ends, and we leave without further delay on the end of the season of… Knicks.
Will Julius Randle finally stop sulking?
Incredible MIP in 2021, Julius Randle is for the moment an undrinkable sucker in 2022. We are going hard but we have our reasons, and among them the disappointment to see that a guy capable of dominating so much… has apparently he “decided” not to do it anymore. Oh it’s fine eh the shortcuts, we would like to see you there in his place, yes but here we are in his place and we are not there and from our little sofa the impression left by Julius since October is… dirty. If there was an anti MIP trophy it would probably be for JVLIVS this season, and beyond the stats it is also (and above all) in the impression left by the former soldier who has become a pawn that we are in right to be disappointed today. A body language light years away from its period pre-contract 2020-21, some scenes noticed with teammates, haggard look during time-outs or raged to take a second technical fault, in short the reasons for our anger are at least as numerous this year as JR’s triple-doubles the year past. So, inevitably, when the boss sulks it shows in the organization chart and the Knicks skate, so thank you to the presumed leader for shaking the coconut tree, in which case our next paragraph will already make sense. Oh transition, it’s Warriors 2016.
RJ Barrett, the birth of a boss?
Because, yes yes yes, wouldn’t the leader of the Knicks be named after all already… Rowan Alexander? RJ Barrett therefore, 18.6 pawns on average this season and author of some huge cards (35 points at NOLA, 36 against the Lakers and 46 recently against the big defense of the Heat), RJ Barrett, of whom we recall that he is only 21 years old, RJ Barrett who therefore potentially represents the future of the Knicks, unlike the few failed bets of the last Free Agency, unlike Julius Randle who most likely offered in 2021 what he had to offer better. The Canadian rear is silky but he knows how to be aggressive, he is above all technical and airy but demonstrates more and more that he is able to integrate the crew of snipers very quickly, and at 21 years his margin of progression coupled with the talent already in place is enough to make Manhattan smile. Not yet a franchise player, nor a real leader, of those who slam their 25/8/8 without bellowing every night, but everything seems in place so that Rémi-Jean very quickly gets the keys to the shop and puts them to good use. . Not alone of course, but at the head of a small army, why not. Given the current results, the end of the season could also be a first life-size test, oh the big transition n ° 2, it looks like Warriors 2017.
Continue to believe in an improbable spring… or screw it all up now?
At the time of these lines? 25 wins and 36 losses for the Knicks, 4.5 wins behind the last qualifying place for the play-in tournament, and more than ten wins away from the playoffable first place. The month of March is here, we are there, and two solutions are therefore available to the New York franchise. 1) An awareness of these gentlemen Randle, Robinson and co. Derrick Rose back to rekindle the flame and the Knicks again conquerors for the spring, just to get an improbable participation in the postseason and to offer us the Madison in Playoffs mode. Quite frankly? We hardly believe it. Then comes option 2. The pitch? Julius Randle and Evan Fournier, so old, who are gradually losing minutes to the benefit of the youth of NYC, we are not talking about Barrett who already plays his 2400 seconds every night but rather about these gentlemen Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin or Jericho Sims , or even Cam Reddish and Mitchell Robinson to get rid of them more easily this summer. Almost tanking mode activated, pleasure found, perhaps, but in any case the bonus for those who move and preferably those who can lose with panache, especially since to start the month of March the Sixers and the Suns are On the menu. And when we take a step back and forget a bit about last season, we say to ourselves that, ultimately, an end to the season of this ilk would not change much from what the Knicks have accustomed us to for ten years. years. Chick?
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