The New York Knicks have rotated one player out of the “DNP-Coach’s Decision” spot over the past two weeks. Will that situation change?
The New York Knicks, not factoring Kristaps Porzingis, opened 2018-19 banged. Emmanuel Mudiay, Kevin Knox and Courtney Lee all were injured either before the first game or shortly after. That contributed to frequent rotation changes from head coach David Fizdale.
Lee remains out with a strained neck, but Mudiay and Knox have since returned and taken regular roles.
Adding them to the mix began to clog the rotation. Some saw their minutes cut, while others went from rotation stalwarts to the dreaded “DNP-Coach’s Decision” at the bottom of the box score.
Mudiay’s return initially pushed Trey Burke, who started the season’s first five games, from the rotation. He sat in three of a four-game stretch, moving from backup to not finding time in a somewhat cluttered rotation.
Once Fizdale made another lineup change, he brought Burke back into the fold. The response: 24, 31, 19 and 29 point games, with the latter in Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics. So don’t expect him to sit anytime soon.
Mario Hezonja was next. He sat back-to-back games against the New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic, after struggling to find his shot, at 39.7 percent shooting and 28 percent from three-point range.
Fizdale kept Hezonja’s absence short, with a surprise inclusion in the starting lineup for the pre-Thanksgiving back-to-back against the Portland Trail Blazers and Celtics.
However, in a combined 30 minutes, the Croatian forward compiled just five points on 2-for-12 shooting. That included Wednesday’s short leash, as Hezonja received just two on-court stints.
While that happened, Damyean Dotson moved out of the rotation. He had nine straight games of double-digit point and once seemed as a lock for minutes. Since that streak ended, he has 5.3 points on 36.8 percent shooting in six games.
Dotson may find his opportunity soon, though, if the Knicks opt to remove Hezonja, or another player, from the rotation for Friday’s game against the Pelicans. Otherwise, it’s difficult to see who he would take time from.
The end of the bench remains fluctuant for the New York Knicks. Three players have been on the wrong end of this, but could it impact a fourth before November ends?