A week after shaking up the Knicks lineup with the subtraction of Kemba Walker, Tom Thibodeau is considering even more changes as the team heads out on a three-game road trip.
With three straight losses since Walker was benched — dropping the Knicks under .500 for the first time this season at 11-12 — Thibodeau said Monday there “could” be additional lineup changes for Tuesday’s showdown against the Spurs as he looks to find the right combinations to get them back on track.
“I’m still mulling it over,” Thibodeau said before the team flew to San Antonio, declining to specify who could be in or out of the lineup.
Alec Burks has started four straight games at point guard — the first coming when Walker sat out for rest on the second half of a back-to-back. That stretch started with a big win over the Hawks, but the Knicks followed it up with close losses to the Nets and Bulls before getting blown out by the Nuggets on Saturday, a game in which they trailed by as many as 30 points and heard boos from the home crowd.
“You look at everything,” Thibodeau said. “Three out of four games we played well. So that’s what I’m looking at. We have to fix the way we played [Saturday]. … You look at it in totality, but you’re always evaluating everything that you’re doing. You’re looking at the different combinations and if things could be done better.”
Among the options Thibodeau could consider, in no particular order:
Start Derrick Rose and have Evan Fournier or RJ Barrett come off the bench
Rose could handle point guard duties and allow Burks to play off the ball as a shooter first — he is the Knicks’ top 3-point threat, shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc. The move could also try to spark Fournier or Barrett playing with the energetic second unit, though it would likely thrust Immanuel Quickley into backup point guard duties unless Walker returns to the rotation.
Barrett has been stuck in a shooting slump for the past month, averaging just 10.4 points on 32.9 percent shooting from the field and 22.4 percent from deep in 13 games since Nov. 7. Thibodeau on Monday reiterated his belief that Barrett will work his way out of it and insisted that his comments about getting more shots up in the gym were related to Barrett’s recent sickness instead of a lack of willingness to put in the work.
“If you’re sick, you’re sick,” Thibodeau said. “There’s nothing you can do about that. But he’s feeling a lot better. So he was in [Sunday] night, he was in early today. That’s who RJ is. … The fact that he did it once before [last season] tells me that he’ll do it again.”
Start Obi Toppin, Taj Gibson or Nerlens Noel for Mitchell Robinson
Thibodeau has tried the small-ball lineup with a frontcourt of Toppin and Julius Randle at times, with varying degrees of success. Starting Toppin would go against Thibodeau’s defense-first philosophy, but the second-year forward brings instant energy whenever he gets on the court and is currently averaging 8.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game.
Gibson, a Thibodeau favorite, offers an important presence defensively, though he has played just three-plus minutes over the last eight games — getting ejected after two quick technical fouls Thursday against the Bulls and missing time before that with a groin injury.
Injuries have hampered Noel’s season so far, but he provides a rim presence and was an integral piece of the Knicks’ stout defense last season.
Reinsert Walker back into the rotation
It would be a fairly quick reversal of Thibodeau’s decision last week to bench Walker, but perhaps he decides the veteran could be recharged after a week watching. The coach has said he still believes Walker is a starter, though he could see if bringing him off the bench could be the solution.
Move Quentin Grimes into a bigger role off the bench
The rookie has started to see some more playing time over the last five games and brings a two-way presence with his defense and 3-point shooting.
