On November 29th, the New York Knicks decided to remove Kemba Walker from both the starting lineup and rotation altogether, effectively benching the former all-star. Since then, the team has gone 4-8, falling to 14-17 on the season.
Coming off a season that included their first playoff appearance since 2013, the New York Knicks looked to continue their hard-working defensive identity. However, they knew that wouldn’t be enough to make a serious run in the playoffs, as their offensive identity almost exclusively revolved around the breakout season of Julius Randle.
To counter this, New York signed both Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier as offensive-first options. They both have shown the ability to create and shoot off the dribble, not having to rely on others for their offense. With these acquisitions, the Knicks would ideally become a more successful and well-rounded offensive while maintaining their defensive toughness.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case through two months of the NBA season, as the Knicks currently sit on the bottom of their division and 12th in the conference. After having the fourth-best defensive rating in the 2020-21 season, they have plummeted to 23rd with much of the same roster.
Much of that was blamed on the aforementioned Walker, deservingly so. Kemba has never been a plus defender in his NBA career, largely due to his lack of size, and that has transferred to his tenure in New York – the Knicks give up 8.7 more points for 100 possessions with the former Celtic on the court.
The Knicks bench unit, which has gotten them back into multiple games after miserable performances by the starting lineup, supports jaw-dropping on/off statistics. Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, and Derrick Rose, all have +14 or better point differentials when they’re on the court. On the contrary, Mitchell Robinson has the ‘best’ on/off differential of the Knicks starters, sitting at a lowly -6.5.
The real reason for the Knicks’ 2021-22 struggles is the miserable season by Julius Randle. After shooting 41 percent from downtown on 5.5 attempts per game, he’s 33.5 percent on that same volume. His overall field goal percentage has dropped over three percentage points, with his raw points per game falling to 19.6. These numbers are supported by both the eye test and advanced statistics, with Randle being in the 2nd percentile of the league in on/off numbers, making the Knicks 23.5 points per 100 possessions worse when he’s in the game.
Those kinds of numbers for a borderline MVP candidate just one year ago are jaw-dropping. If a team relies on one player to practically carry them to the playoffs, and that player regresses dramatically the next year, that team is most likely going to fail. Of course, Randle has the possibility of turning his season around, but every game is important in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.
With a record number of players in health and safety protocols, many teams are relying on a ‘next man up’ mentality to get wins. This has been the case with the Knicks and Kemba Walker, who saw his first action in three weeks this Monday against the Celtics. He delivered against his former team, recording 29 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 5-of-11 from three-point range.
He was able to use his quickness of ball-screens to his advantage, with the potential to both drive downhill on his defender and pull up for three. Kemba, who has struggled to get into a rhythm the past two years due to nagging injuries, finally looked like himself. He followed it up with another positive performance against Detroit, able to run the offense effectively.
Ultimately, Kemba’s defensive shortcomings and inefficient offense were the reasons for the benching. He undoubtedly did get off to a rocky start in New York, shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from downtown in the month of November. However, the potential ceiling of Walker in the New York Knicks lineup is too important to pass up.
He can act as another viable option in the half-court offense, taking lots of responsibility away from the overworked Randle. Without Walker in the rotation, the Knicks have still struggled on the defensive end, with the 17th best defensive rating in the past two weeks.
The Knicks and Tom Thibedeau should be willing to sacrifice some defensive flexibility in exchange for the offensive potential and firepower of Walker. Even though he may be inconsistent, Kemba’s shotmaking ability is needed on a struggling Knicks team, as it was unfair to blame him for all the team’s problems in the first place.
With New York continuing to struggle with him on the bench, it’s time to re-insert Kemba Walker into the rotation.