Julius Randle, New York Knicks. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
It’s time to relive what was the 2021-22 season for the New York Knicks. Yay. Despite an exclusive number of silver linings, this year for the franchise was a huge step back and an overall failure.
As to not get ahead of myself (and if I’m being honest I’m just trying to get enough text for a proper introduction), let’s first highlight some of the things that went right in 2020-21. What made New York such a success a year ago?
The Knicks took advantage of a disappointing Eastern Conference, one that proved much more competitive this season, by finishing fourth in the standings.
New York blindsided the NBA with a season-long elite defense and major improvements and contributions from seemingly everyone on the roster. Even the guy that is now the Phoenix Suns’ waterboy backup to the backup point guard helped out.
Veterans who were signed to be flipped at the deadline wound up being key rotation pieces. A pair of rookies not expected to add much beyond eating up reserve minutes became instant and dazzling spark plugs off of the bench.
Led by a rising star who would make his first All-NBA and All-Star team while winning Most Improved Player, and a sophomore whose performance shocked even the most optimistic among us, the Knicks exploded up the power rankings and proved to be a team several steps ahead of their rebuild. Their head coach even won the most prestigious award for his title.
Did you get all of that? Did you retain the knowledge I have shared with you? Good. Now, I want you to take that information and flush nearly all of it down the toilet. The test will not be cumulative.
Just about every aspect I mentioned that made for a special season last year was ripped apart into bite-sized pieces this year. And now that it’s over, let’s discuss in broader detail what three factors led to such negative results.
New York Knicks</a>. Yay. Despite <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/16/new-york-knicks-3-positive-takeaways-2021-22-season/">an exclusive number of silver linings</a>, this year for the franchise was a<em> huge</em> step back and an overall failure.</p>
<p>As to not get ahead of myself (and if I’m being honest I’m just trying to get enough text for a proper introduction), let’s first highlight some of the things that went right in 2020-21. What made New York such a success a year ago?</p>
<p>The Knicks took advantage of a disappointing Eastern Conference, one that proved much more competitive this season, by finishing fourth in the standings.</p>
<p>New York blindsided the NBA with a season-long elite defense and major improvements and contributions from seemingly everyone on the roster. Even the guy that is now the Phoenix Suns’ <del>waterboy</del> backup to the backup point guard helped out.</p>
<p>Veterans who were signed to be flipped at the deadline wound up being key rotation pieces. A pair of rookies not expected to add much beyond eating up reserve minutes became instant and dazzling spark plugs off of the bench.</p>
<p>Led by a rising star who would make his first All-NBA and All-Star team while winning Most Improved Player, and a sophomore whose performance shocked even the most optimistic among us, the Knicks exploded up the power rankings and proved to be a team several steps ahead of their rebuild. Their head coach even won the most prestigious award for his title.</p>
<p>Did you get all of that? Did you retain the knowledge I have shared with you? Good. Now, I want you to take that information and flush nearly all of it down the toilet. The test will not be cumulative.</p>
<p>Just about every aspect I mentioned that made for a special season last year was ripped apart into bite-sized pieces this year. And now that it’s over, let’s discuss in broader detail what three factors led to such negative results.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Julius Randle </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-126549" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2022%2F04%2F1365689866.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Kevin Durant" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/04/1365689866.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/04/1365689866-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Kevin Durant, New York Knicks. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Julius Randle’s regression and antics in 2021-22</h3>
<p>During several games to end the 2020-21 season in which fans were back in the stands, Randle continued to have the best year of his career. For that reason, I didn’t buy into the idea that he and other players who excelled only did so because of the “empty gym atmosphere” NBA games had.</p>
<p>The presence of fans definitely matters and adds pressure, but to me, that wasn’t a factor in what made Randle ball out.</p>
<p>One fan or 100,000 fans, Randle was drilling fadeaway and pull-up jumpers from mid-range and from three in the teeth of defenses and making the perfect reads with the ball in his hands. He’s a professional and a very talented one at that. He had a scorching hot season.</p>
<p>But now that I have seen how 2021-22 went, I am questioning nearly everything I thought I knew about that All-NBA season. When it comes to Randle, the physical isn’t his issue. The biggest determining factor in his game is, undebatably, the mental.</p>
<p>Randle seemingly melted down in the opening round of the 2021 playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. To their credit, the Hawks did a good job of defending Randle and pressuring him with double teams. But that was nothing Randle couldn’t handle throughout the year. So what changed?</p>
<p>Perhaps Randle was taxed from a long season in which he played 71 games, where he was fragmented into sand from playing <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/randlju01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">37.6 minutes per contest</a>, along with having to dominate on a nightly basis to win.</p>
<p>Perhaps that’s the main cause for his lack of success this year – exhaustion. Both from the mileage put on his body last season along with him and his wife having their second child early in the 2021-22 campaign.</p>
<p>Or, was the pressure to keep it going in his playoff debut too much? Did his failure to help his team win in the postseason carryover and weigh heavily on him throughout 2021-22?</p>
<p>I truly think it is some mixture of both, but I’d say the evidence suggests about a 70/30 split leaning more towards the mental being what has caused Randle’s regression.</p>
<p>If he plays in Dallas, on the West Coast, or against Domantas Sabonis, then we get All-NBA Randle. If the scenario doesn’t involve that criteria, then Randle may not even score in double figures.</p>
<p>Fans berated “Bey Blade” relentlessly, leading to him responding with his career year. But this season, all fans got from criticizing Randle was angry Kendra tweets, a thumbs down, and a “shut the f- up.”</p>
<p>But what caused <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/julius-randle-february" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Randle’s best stretch</a> of the season? It took Marc Berman<a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"https://twitter.com/jr_xxi/status/1489739959674327042" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> being bad at his job</a>.</p>
<p>And there are of course the endless in-game antics and tantrums he pulled while often showing little if any hustle or focus on both sides of the ball.</p>
<p>For all intents and purposes, this was a nightmare for Randle, and consequently, for the Knicks and their fans. It is arguably the most negative thing to have occurred to the team.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Tom Thibodeau </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-126550" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2022%2F04%2F1238311636.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/04/1238311636.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/04/1238311636-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Tom Thibodeau’s bad habits are still alive and well</h3>
<p>I wanted Mike Miller to be the next head coach two years ago. I was impressed by his attitude, his resume with the Westchester Knicks as a player developer and winner, and the fact of course that he was substantially more successful in a short amount of time than his predecessor.</p>
<p>But instead, New York hired Tom Thibodeau, who I’ll acknowledge fits what qualifies as a “good” NBA coach. I admire his passion, his knack for defense, his success at the professional level, and he does have a reputation of being a “player’s coach and developer.”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, he has a lot of bad habits that reared their ugly heads this season. At times, I question whether or not the ways in which I just described Thibodeau were accurate and I know that I’m not the only one.</p>
<p>It is for these reasons that I was hesitant to consider and accept Thibodeau’s hiring. So, what reasons am I referring to specifically?</p>
<p>Only the two biggest reasons why Thibodeau had a negative impact on the team, of course; his offensive ineptitude and reliance on veterans.</p>
<p>Basically, both of those attributes fit under the umbrella of his most defining characteristic: stubbornness. How did each of these hurt the Knicks?</p>
<p>The former reason was a huge problem this year but was admittedly not all of the coach’s fault. Randle’s huge decline and the poor shooting of most of the roster was a big catalyst.</p>
<p>However, Thibodeau has always been offensively impaired. He is challenged by just about any play-calling, and maybe worst of all, doesn’t seem to have ever had an assistant who he can or who he chooses to lean on for help on that end.</p>
<p>Then there is the latter habit, his choice of personnel. We all know Thibodeau has his favorites and they’re overwhelmingly vets. He never held guys like Randle or Alec Burks accountable for poor play and constantly played them big minutes over the more successful players.</p>
<p>Those successful players of course just so happened to be the young guys, and thus the cries of “play the kids” on Knicks Twitter was born.</p>
<p>Thibodeau’s biggest flaws of refusing to change his rotations and his lack of know-how on offense severely lessened New York’s chances of winning game to game.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Inconsistency </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-126552" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2022%2F04%2F1237452063.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/04/1237452063.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/04/1237452063-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">New York Knicks. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>The 2021-22 New York Knicks were astonishingly inconsistent</h3>
<p>No, I don’t mean that the Knicks’ play was inconsistent from a competitive standpoint. They were basically a disaster during every stretch of the year, particularly in the third and fourth quarters.</p>
<p>Instead, I think inconsistency is the word that most defines New York’s season because on every front aside from losing, there were little to no signs of stability.</p>
<p>Clearly, there was a huge lack of consistency between Randle and Thibodeau. But they are <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/18/new-york-knicks-front-office-desperately-needs-follow-sam-presti-lead/">far from the only Knicks personnel who played such a role</a>.</p>
<p>An exciting five-game stretch in late October and early November was followed by two months of a colossal struggle for RJ Barrett, who then played the best three months of his career to start the new year.</p>
<p>Burks, Immanuel Quickley, and Evan Fournier all finished strong as well but were major liabilities on offense most of the season.</p>
<p>Between injuries to Derrick Rose, Nerlens Noel, Mitchell Robinson, and Kemba Walker, there was often a lot of turnover in New York’s lineups. And even when healthy, Noel and Walker were so horrendous that they at one point or another were benched in favor of other players.</p>
<p>Robinson was a hobbled mess the first couple of dozen games trying to balance his new weight gain and recovery from last year’s ankle injury.</p>
<p>And then there was the inconsistency in minutes distributed to the reserves. Cam Reddish was traded for a first-round pick and barely given the time of day. Obi Toppin played anywhere from 8 to 18 minutes a game, usually somewhere in the middle.</p>
<p>Burks was <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/21/new-york-knicks-3-negative-takeaways-2021-22-season/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/04/20/knicks-allow-immanuel-quickley-follow-tyrese-maxey-footsteps/">playing heavy minutes at point guard while Quickley barely got the ball in his hands at times</a>. Miles McBride was seen more in Knicks PR tweets about being called up and down between the NBA and G League than he was seen on the actual court.</p>
<p>Very rarely was this team all clicking at the same time, both from a health and production standpoint. There are frankly no excuses for most of these players for the season they had.</p>
<p>The only guys who stood out as constant positives were Toppin, Quentin Grimes, and Taj Gibson. Overall, this season was just a mess.</p>
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