The Knicks’ ball motion on Sunday was one of the best it’s been all season. New York completed with 33 assists on 43 made photographs in a house win over the Nets.
“They did a variety of switching so we did a variety of slicing and I believed guys have been unselfish,” Tom Thibodeau stated afterward.
Karl-Anthony Cities was in the course of it for the Knicks, ending the sport with six assists and one turnover.
Thibodeau coached Cities early in his profession in Minnesota. After watching him up shut once more for the previous few weeks, Thibodeau believes Cities’ passing has reached one other stage.
“He’s at all times been unselfish. He’s at all times been a team-first man. However now I believe he actually sees issues,” Thibodeau stated of Cities, who’s averaging 4 assists per recreation over his previous 5 video games. “He understands what the protection is making an attempt to do. He is aware of if there may be overhelp. He’s seeing the entire flooring now. Initially, like most younger guys, the imaginative and prescient was extra slender. It might have been on one man. However now he sees multiple man. He sees the protection, he is aware of the place everyone seems to be. (He is aware of) if there’s overhelp, I can pretend right here and throw there. That goes a great distance.”
The Knicks (7-6) are 4-0 when Cities has a minimum of 4 assists. He completed with 26 factors and 15 rebounds on Sunday.
A for OG
OG Anunoby has been the Knicks’ most constant participant on this younger season. He put collectively one other robust efficiency on Sunday night time with 24 factors and eight rebounds towards Brooklyn. He had three offensive rebounds. Cities completed with 5.
Cities additionally discovered a slicing Anunoby for a number of high quality appears in shut.
Anunoby’s off-ball motion is essential for New York’s five-out offense. He’s additionally pivotal on the opposite facet of the ball.
The Knicks are plus-five in web score when Anunoby’s on the ground.
“There’s an consciousness as to the place he’s due to the taking pictures. When he sees the again of his man’s head, he cuts. And he relocates extraordinarily nicely,” Thibodeau stated. “The fixed motion by him is large for us.”
Breather for Brunson
The Knicks relied closely on Jalen Brunson to attain final season. They’ll nonetheless want him to attain a ton of factors this yr. However Sunday’s win over Brooklyn was proof that they’ve sufficient depth to thrive when Brunson doesn’t rating a ton of factors. He had 12 factors on 3-for-14 taking pictures on Sunday. The opposite 4 starters had a minimum of 20 factors.
“It’s good to have a adequate, gifted sufficient crew the place we’re not simply so reliant on him scoring and creating,” Josh Hart stated after the sport. “KAT can fill it up, OG, ‘Kal (Mikal Bridges), Cam (Payne) can convey power off the bench. It’s not a lot strain on him to knock down photographs and provoke all the pieces. Generally he can take a pair breaths (on) a pair possessions we are able to nonetheless hoop.”
