As they embark on the longest road trip of the season, the Knicks look and sound like a team that’s finding a rhythm on offense.
“We’re starting to click,” Josh Hart said late Monday night.
“I think we’re starting to figure out how to play with each other,” Cam Payne said a few minutes later.
The eye test and the numbers support that theory.
Let’s look at assist ratio, which measures the amount of a team’s possessions that end in an assist.
Over the past five games, the Knicks lead the league in assist ratio.
In the nine games prior, New York ranked 13th in the statistic.
You can also look at assists adjusted, which accounts for a team’s total assists, free-throw assists and secondary assists. The Knicks rank sixth in assists adjusted over the past five games. In the nine games prior to that? They were 20th.
What’s happened over the past five games? Nothing noteworthy, other than more time spent on the court together.
“Just gelling, continuity, getting more acclimated with each other,” Karl-Anthony Towns said on Monday. “Just understanding what everyone’s going to do and how they’re going to cut and just building trust with each other.”
The Knicks averaged 31.5 assists per game over their four-game homestand.
Jalen Brunson had nine assists per game in that span. His assist-to-turnover ratio (9-to-2) was strong.
“He’s finally passing the ball,” Hart joked on Monday night.
New York has scored efficiently on cuts (10th in points per play) so far this season. Cutting has opened up opportunities on other areas of the floor.
The Knicks are shooting a league-leading 51.7 percent from the floor over the past five games.
“The energy’s flowing,” Hart said Monday. “The ball has energy, guys are able to shoot confidently or make plays confidently.”
Keep an eye on this trend as the Knicks hit the road.
MCBRIDE STATUS
Miles McBride has missed the past three games (one due to illness and two due to left knee inflammation, the Knicks say). He will miss Wednesday’s game against Phoenix due to the knee ailment. Tom Thibodeau has intimated that the injury is manageable and the Knicks just want the inflammation to subside. It’s probably an encouraging sign that McBride is on the road trip with the Knicks.
CAM CHEMISTRY
Payne played a significant role in the Knicks’ 3-1 homestand. He averaged 11.8 points on 57 percent shooting and hit 59 percent from three on 5.5 attempts per game. Thibodeau has regularly praised Payne for his shot-making and ability to push the pace.
Payne said on Monday that the team has been able to balance having fun with holding each other accountable on the court.
“That’s the unique thing,” Payne said Monday. “Everyone’s connected; you can joke around off the court, but when you get on the court, everybody holds each other accountable…. No one’s out there pointing fingers.
“I think everyone’s cool with each other. That’s big for an NBA team,” he added.
Payne says it’s been easy to assimilate with this Knicks team.
“They’re really good guys; they make it easy to go out there and play,” Payne said. “For new guys that’s coming in, that’s all you can really ask for. To have good guys on the team that really embrace you.”
ADDITIONS COMING?
When Thibodeau is asked about the bench play in his news conferences, he routinely mentions how well Landry Shamet fit into the group.
The Knicks waived Shamet prior to the regular season but selected him in the G League draft so he could rehab his shoulder injury within team confines.
I’d still expect the Knicks to sign Shamet if he can make it all the way back from rehab. He’s been at the facility regularly.
“See him almost every day, see him all the time,” Payne said. “He’s getting better, his shoulder’s starting to feel a lot better.”