Reassessing the Knicks After the First Quarter of the Season

The New York Knicks’ bench mob

The Knicks bench unit is elite, no ifs ands or buts about it. In several games this season, every bench player has posted a positive +/- while every starter posted a negative one.

Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson (who’s effective, I’m not joking) have protected the rim all season…when they’re healthy. Noel’s only played 9 games this season and Taj just 11.

Obi Toppin, while still just averaging 15 minutes, is showing growth in his game. He’s a fantastic cutter and knows exactly when he’s open, like an uber-athletic tight end. He’s beginning to pick up on playing in defensive schemes. The rebounding is looking better. His motor is unmatched (although you could say that genuinely about several Knicks). Would love to see him get some more opportunities.

Then there are the two guards. Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley have sliced and diced second units all year long. You can often see them do it in the clutch as well. Rose himself leads the team in BPM and AST%. Quickley has grown on the defensive side of the ball. He’s added mass to what was a thin frame in his rookie season and has earned attention from Thibs.

He’s really turning into a massive steal for the Knicks in terms of where they got him in the draft.