New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale talks about his team’s win over the Boston Celtics.
Chris Iseman, Staff Writer, @chrisiseman
David Fizdale took his place in front of reporters and let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally," the Knicks head coach said.
For the first time in a while, Fizdale wasn't there to answer questions about another loss.
After coming close to victories over good teams only to see them slip away in the final minutes, the Knicks had finally pulled off a win, beating the Boston Celtics, 117-109 at TD Garden Wednesday night.
The 5-14 Knicks were on the verge of letting the win slip away, but this time managed to withstand the Celtics' late charge.
The Knicks, who will play their 20th game of the season Friday night against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Garden, have faced plenty of challenges so far. They've had offensive struggles and defensive breakdowns, they've been on the wrong end of blowouts and have had potential wins slip from their grasp.
There have also been some encouraging signs for the Knicks and their fans, like Mitchell Robinson's shot-blocking dominance and the emergence of undrafted Allonzo Trier as a promising young player.
Here's a look at the Knicks as they reach the 20-game mark:
1. Who has stood out?
Tim Hardaway Jr. has given the Knicks the scoring they've needed, averaging 24.2 points per game. He's shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from the perimeter. He takes a lot of shots (18.5 per game coming into Friday) and not all of them are high-percentage ones, but Fizdale has also been trying to get Hardaway to be more of a playmaker.
Hardaway is averaging 2.9 assists per game. He's never had a season where he's averaged more than 2.7.
Robinson is still raw and his offensive ability is still developing. He was averaging just 5.2 points entering Friday. But the rookie's defensive impact is indisputable. Robinson is averaging two blocks per game. He had six on Wednesday against the Celtics and he had a nine-block performance in the Knicks' blowout loss to the Magic earlier in the month.
Robinson ranks sixth in the NBA in blocks per game. Miami's Hassan Whiteside is first with 3.1 Also ahead of Robinson is Joel Embiid (2.1), JaVale McGee (2.6), Myles Turner (2.6) and Anthony Davis (2.9). That's not bad company to be in.
Trier has had some up-and-down games but has played well overall to give the Knicks some scoring. The guard entered the day averaging 10.8 points per game.
Trey Burke, meanwhile, has had a strange season as Fizdale has shuffled his lineups. Burke has three DNP's this season.
But lately he's been coming up big.
Burke had 29 points and 11 assists against the Celtics Wednesday and hit a three-pointer in the final seconds that iced the game.
In his last four games, Burke is averaging 25.8 points while shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 45 percent from the perimeter.
Noah Vonleh has also been solid, averaging 8.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game entering Friday. He's coming off back-to-back double-doubles.
2. Who still needs to improve?
Mario Hezonja has started the past two games after Fizdale's latest lineup shuffle, and he's struggled. Over those two contests, Hezonja has five points on 2-of-12 shooting (1-of-6 from three) with five rebounds, one assist and two steals.
At times he's shown some good things, like on Wednesday night when he swooped in and intercepted a pass from Kyrie Irving to Jaylen Brown.
But he just hasn't been consistent.
Fizdale has said it often comes down to Hezonja making the right decisions, and not trying to do too much on either end of the floor.
Hezonja just needs to be more consistent, something he hasn't been able to do through the first 19 games.
Kevin Knox has also been inconsistent, but that's to be expected from a 19-year-old rookie playing his first minutes in the NBA.
Coming into Friday, Knox was averaging 8.5 points on 34.3 percent shooting (35.7 percent from the perimeter). He's struggled recently to get his shots to fall.
Knox bounced back Wednesday from a couple bad games, scoring 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting (2-of-2 from the perimeter) against the Celtics.
He also needs to improve on the defensive end.
But the more he plays, the more experience he gets, the better he can become. Any struggles this early shouldn't be considered a concern.
3. The lineup changes
David Fizdale has looked at six different starting lineups. His latest one has featured Emmanuel Mudiay, Tim Hardaway Jr., Mario Hezonja, Noah Vonleh and Enes Kanter.
That combination helped the Knicks get off to a good start against the Portland Trail Blazers before they faded in the final minutes, and then got the Knicks off to another good start against the Celtics in a game they eventually won.
Whether Fizdale makes another tweak remains to be seen, although it's likely. Hezonja could be dropped if he continues to shoot poorly.
Fizdale has said that by the 25th game, he would like to have lineups that are mostly set so players can settle into roles.
Fizdale is still trying to learn his players, something he acknowledged before Wednesday's game.
"I think we have so many young guys and we’re trying to figure out who can do what, whose strengths are what, whose weaknesses are what — the suffering that comes with that because you’re doing it while you’re losing and figuring it all out," Fizdale said. "We understand that the suffering is part of it and we’re just trying to get to know these guys and hopefully in the next week or two we can start to get to know them a little bit better and start settling in and maybe that will help us."
An unsolicited prediction: Knox replaces Hezonja sooner than later and Fizdale rolls with his lineup, at least for the time being.
4. Where the Knicks stand?
The Knicks rank 18th in the NBA in scoring at 108.6 points per game. They're 24th in field-goal percentage at 44.3. They're 22nd in attempted threes per game at 29, and they're 25th in three-point field goal percentage 33.4 percent.
They remain dead last in assists at 18.9, which needs to improve.
The Knicks' defensive rating of 112.2 ranks them 27th in the NBA, while their offensive rating of 106.6 is 20th.
The Knicks are 18th in pace at 100.92, which Fizdale would like to improve since he wants the Knicks to play fast.
5. What questions still remain?
What is Frank Ntilikina's long-term position?
Ntilikina still has not spent too much time at point guard, typically playing more off the ball either at small forward or shooting guard. His long-term position is still to be determined. He's also trying to find offensive consistency. In his last seven games, Ntilikina is averaging 3.7 points on 32.4 percent shooting (11.1 percent from three). His defense, though, remains extremely valuable.
When will Courtney Lee be back, and what will his role be?
Lee could be getting closer to making his return. He hasn't played all season because of neck and back spasms. If and when he does return to the court, it'll be interesting to see how Fizdale uses him. Lee brings a three-point shooting ability that the Knicks could use, but he also isn't part of their long-term plans. So how will Fizdale juggle Lee's role while also trying to develop his younger guards like Trier and Damyean Dotson? There's also the chance that Lee is traded before the deadline. In the meantime, the Knicks will have to find a way to use him.
How will the Knicks make room for Trier?
The 45 days Trier is permitted to be with the Knicks on a two-way contract is running out. The Knicks will have to convert his contract to an NBA deal sometime next month in order to keep him on the roster. That means the Knicks are going to have to waive someone to clear a spot. At this point, Luke Kornet seems like a candidate for that type of move. Kornet, who signed a one-year contract worth $1.6 million in the offseason, has been in the G-League since Nov. 5. But it remains to be seen what the Knicks do with Trier's situation.
FINALLY: New York Knicks finally pulled off the type of victory that has been elusive, but barely
TOUGH LOSS: New York Knicks push Portland after another lineup change, but fall in the end
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: NBA Draft 2019: How potential lottery picks, possible New York Knicks targets are playing
Email: iseman@northjersey.com