However, as this Knicks season unfolds and concludes, there is no denying that what Tom Thibodeau has done is keep the boat stable.
His ship had no captain Thursday night.
Until RJ Barrett grabbed the wheel and steered it toward port.
He grabbed the wheel at a time when Julius Randle was wrapped in a barking thigh and sailed through unexpected stormy seas to lead the Knicks to a fourth-quarter comeback comeback and win 106-102 over the Wizards.
He overtook Bradley Beal by an and-1 that tied the game at 91. He flexed. It inspired. He refused to lose.
When it came time to win, it was as if Barrett was returning to Duke.
Once Barrett refused to lose, all the Knicks did.
He had help: mainly Alec Burks (27 points from the bench, 15 in the fourth quarter) and Taj Gibson (diving for loose balls, setting screens, forced to play the entire fourth quarter with Nerlens Noel offside).
Thibodeau points to a 48-minute team one day. Until you get it, it’s good to have an ascending Knick like RJ Barrett as a staple.
Barrett’s resistance tonight represented what these Thibodeau Knicks are dealing with. He committed a foul on Garrison Mathews by shooting a 3 early in the first quarter. I couldn’t buy a basket.
But he found a way. He got excited at the end of the next third quarter. a follow-up planning.
“I was trying to get the team to bounce back, myself,” Barrett said. “We had to fight. I knew we could get that victory. We all believed in it.”
Thibodeau, girl!
“You could see his confidence grow,” Thibodeau said. “He is learning every day. The ground game has really expanded, you start making plays, you see the game. Finish much better. The way he was able to adhere to that and move on. ”
Barrett’s leadership and Mamba’s mindset when it mattered were not lost on Randle.
“His mental toughness to be able to keep up with him and make big plays along the stretch, that just says a lot about his growth and development,” he said.
Barrett did it all: 24 points on 7 of 22 shots, 10 rebounds, five assists.
“It didn’t necessarily have things that worked,” Randle said, “but for RJ to step up was huge.”
For too long, the Knicks didn’t show up to this one.
They looked more like the David Fizdale Knicks.
The Wizards played as if this was the seventh game of the NBA Finals. The Knicks played as if this was their seventh game of the preseason.
A reckless disregard for basketball, the matador’s defense and the silly, uninspired game.
It was bad enough when Russell Westbrook whipped a pass under the basket for a three-point play by Raul Neto in the second quarter. Thibodeau shook his head. When Neto missed the free kick from the back edge, the ball came back to him for a placement because no one blocked him.
The Knicks lost their first eight 3s before Immanuel Brinkley made it one in the second quarter. They finished half 1-on-14. Randle, often a double-teamer, deferred to his teammates. Who differed from the Wizards defenders. There were two shooting clock violations.
Then came RJ Barrett. When asked about Randle, he said, “We’re just keeping it for him.”
RJ Barrett knows he’s the one who’s expected to make the most of the turnout.
“I love this team,” Thibodeau said before the game.
RJ Barrett reminded him why he does it.