NO QUIT IN KNICKS
Hornacek says his squad will fight to the end . . . something last year’s crew failed to do.
About three weeks after he was diagnosed with a stress injury, there’s still no timeline for Tim Hardaway Jr.’s return.
The Knicks knew this would be a long recovery process, but their updates of a “revaluation” every couple of weeks sounds a lot better than “out at least a month.” Especially for a player just handed a $71 million contract.
With that being said, there was an encouraging sign after practice Tuesday when the 25-year-old was elevating on his jumpers and not wearing a brace.
As recently as Dec. 18, both were forbidden by team doctors.
“He’s moving more everyday,” Jeff Hornacek said. “So we’re just monitoring him more, giving him a little bit of time to see how that stress (injury) responds when he puts a little weight on it. So it’s a good sign that he’s out there doing that.”
The Knicks are 6-6 this season without Hardaway Jr. and clearly missed him the last two games while blowing fourthquarter leads to the Pistons and Sixers.
More than anything, the offense has suffered without the team’s second-leading scorer behind Kristaps Porzingis. The Knicks (17-16) averaged 98 points in their last four games, well below the 104 they’re averaging for the season.
Transition buckets have dwindled in Hardaway Jr.’s absence. As a result, Hornacek spent the entirety of Tuesday’s practice going over offense.
“We’re not getting enough easy buckets,” Hornacek said. “We’re still getting our 100 points, but we’re not having those games where we get 110, 112. Our defense has been really good. We’ve kept teams down. We just have to balance the offense now.”
Until the return of Hardaway Jr., the Knicks are hoping that the Sixers didn’t expose a flaw by pressuring them into a sloppy, bumbling defeat. Without speedy ball handlers on the roster, New York failed miserably to adjust to Philly’s fullcourt press.
Point guards Jarrett Jack and Frank Ntilikina were awful setting up the offense and combined to shoot 2-for-13. The Knicks totaled four fastbreak points.
Hornacek hopes Ntilikina will adjust.
“We always tell our point guards — if someone is pressuring you, just drive right around them,” the coach said. “Don’t wait for them to get into your body and try to make a move . .. . And that’s something that Frank will learn.”