Youth not yet served in rough exhibition
A rough exhibition performance from the Knicks exposed some flaws, especially from the group of young reserves: Kevin Knox, Obi Toppin and Dennis Smith Jr.
The three combined to shoot 3-for19 with five turnovers, and were all on the floor when the Pistons took the lead for good in the fourth quarter of their 99-91 preseason victory over New York on Sunday.
Toppin, the eighth overall pick and hyped rookie, had an encouraging debut two days earlier, and followed with a clunker Sunday: four points, 1-for-8 shooting (1-for-6 from beyond the arc). Knox was just as bad: 1-for-6 in 12 minutes. Smith Jr. was1-for-5, and the Knicks wereoutscored by 15 points with himonthefloor. A25-point effort from starter RJ Barrett wasn’t enough to counteract the bench’s bricks.
Pistons coach Dwane Casey adjusted from Friday’s loss to the Knicks, calling early for a 2-3 zone on defense. It worked initially because the Knicks are poor shooters from outside. The Pistons dared the Knicks to shoot open 3-pointers, and the Knicks obliged and missed them.
They shot 8-for-32 overall from beyond the arc, an abysmal mark considering many of the opportuni
ties were wide open. Only Alec Burks shot the 3-pointer at a positive rate.
Center battle: There’s redundancy at center, and Mitchell Robinson noticed it when his team signed Nerlens Noel.
“It was just like, ‘Oh well, I mean, nowwe’ve got like two players whodo the same thing,” Robinson said. “Got to live with it, keep working.”
Despite the hype over Robinson and the expectation of a big leap in year 3, the 22-year-old has been a reserve in the two exhibition games. Noel has been the starting and finishing center, scoring three points with 10 boards Sunday. Robinsonwasagainplaguedby foul trouble, whistled for five personals in his first 12 minutes before finishing with eight points and five boards.
He can’t complain about playing
time if he can’t stop fouling.
“As long as I can go out there and help my teammates, I really don’t care if I start or not. It’s early. It is what it is,” Robinson said. “I’m not going to sit down and pout about it. I’m not going to make a problem or whatever. I just wanttogetoutthereandIwanttoplay.”
Before the exhibition opener Friday, Robinson posted on his Instagram, “No loyalty,” prompting speculation he was upset about his reserve status. But Robinson said the message was about his personal life, not basketball, and he won’t cause a fuss about being benched.
Coach Tom Thibodeau is known for playing his starters heavy minutes and declared that the center battle is still up for grabs between Robinson and Noel.