Fiz makes ball movement offensive priority
Knicks brass had a chance to arrange a maximum six preseason games but opted for just four.
Knicks coach David Fizdale mentioned Friday before the preseason finale he could have used eight considering the new faces. But ready or not, the Spurs, angry over the Marcus Morris fiasco, await Wednesday in San Antonio for the season opener before a BrooklynBoston back-to-back on Friday and Saturday.
“We understand where we are with a lot of new faces, but still are going out to compete to win,’’ Fizdale said. “I don’t make any excuses. We’ll keep working through the chemistry and try to get wins.
“We’re going to keep getting better,’’ Fizdale added. “We’ve got a really deep group. Obviously we’ve still got a lot to work on to get connected. But we’re getting better every game. We’ve just got to start building some trust.”
Asked what he meant by trust, Fizdale said he’s referring partly to “ball stops’’ on offense. Ball movement wasn’t terrific during their 1-3 preseason.
“You see the ball stopping a lot, and we hold or we get a turnover because we’re hesitant to let it go and just make that easy play,’’ Fizdale said. “That’s something I’m just going to keep drilling into them. Eventually we’ll get to where we’re willing to work it to the second side.”
Fizdale still has to choose a starting point guard among Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina after a derby that seemed less than enthralling. Payton, a good defender and penetrator with a playmaking mentality, is the safe choice and most accomplished of the trio, and a favorite of general manager Scott Perry.
Smith has the higher ceiling but is a project. He shot 3-of-17 in a two-game audition and doesn’t appear ready for the starting role. If they go the Smith route, it is a public-relations move in propping up the key piece to the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Fizdale said he could see a revolving door at that slot and is amenable to playing all three. The point guard trio combined to shoot a dreadful 14-of-58 in preseason.
The Knicks have to make a decision on Ntilikina’s fourth-year option of $6.3 million, and a source indicated it could be made before the season opener to eliminate any distraction.
The center position has not been finalized yet. Bobby Portis, an outsideshooting big, started one game over Mitchell Robinson and the spacing appeared better.
It also kept the Knicks 2018 second-round shotblocker out of foul trouble. A Randle-Portis frontline may actually be a better tandem than RobinsonRandle. Robinson notched 10 points and four blocks in the finale.
Sorting out a rotation for the opener is Fizdale’s biggest challenge. There will be unhappy campers who aren’t in it, with three point guards and four shooting guards (RJ Barrett, Wayne Ellington, Allonzo Trier and Damyean Dotson).
A massive amount of playing time for Barrett had consequences. Their second-round pick, Michigan’s Ignas Brazdeikis, notched three DNPs and played just seven minutes total. Kevin Knox averaged just 22 minutes and didn’t make as huge an impact as hoped, shooting 37.9 percent.