New York Knicks: How David Fizdale can save his job

On the heels of a brutal 108-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers that dropped the New York Knicks to 2-8 on the season, team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry addressed the media in a surprising appearance.

Many speculated that this could lead to the firing of head coachDavid Fizdalebefore a bombshell report dropped from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:

Although Mills has since refuted the story, it appears that David Fizdale is walking on thin ice. As the New York Knicks prepare for a season-defining 10-game stretch, here are a few ways that Fizdale can calm the storm surrounding his job security.

Julius Randleshould stop being utilized as a “Point Forward”

The 24-year old has underwhelmed in his first ten games in a Knicks jersey, but most of his struggles can be attributed to the role that he’s playing within the offense. David Fizdale has Randle bringing up the ball after a rebound, a staple in his offensive game plan that started with players likeNoah Vonlehin 2018.

The hope is that he can emulate the transition attack of players who have been dubbed “Point Forwards,” or big men that can act as an offensive hub. Modern-day examples would beDraymond GreenandGiannis Antetokounmpo.

However, Randle does not fit that archetype. Giving Randle the ball at the top of the key and telling him to run the entire offense is a recipe for disaster. This has resulted in a career-high 4.1 turnovers per game. His offensive attack relies on running the floor in transition and using his quickness to get around slower centers in the low post.

In his breakout 2018 season with the New Orleans Pelicans, 54% of Julius Randle’s made shots were assisted. This year, only 37% of his shots are.

The player that averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game is still in there; it’s up to David Fizdale to coach it back out of him.

GiveFrank Ntilkinajob security

The 21-year old point guard is currently within the longest starting stretch of his young career. Ntilikina has made the most of this opportunity with impressive first-team numbers of 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 45% from the field and 50% from three.

Frank Ntilikina has often struggled with confidence issues, but this hot stretch can partly be attributed to his opportunity to play through mistakes. WithElfrid PaytonandDennis Smith Jr.missing time, the “French Prince” was free to play without the fear of being benched after an error or two.

Despite the clear evidence of Ntilkina performing better without having to worry about getting benched after a single poor outing, Fizdale decided to keep his options open:

The New York Knicks still don’t yet know what they have with Frank Ntilikina, and this certainly isn’t helping. The wise plan would be to assure Ntilkina of his spot within the starting lineup to keep his confidence high, while slowly assimilating Elfrid Payton and Dennis Smith Jr. back into the rotation once they’re healthy.

If Frank ends up sputtering out after a few weeks, then Fizdale would have the proper justification for inserting someone like Payton back into the starting lineup. Publicly casting a shadow of doubt over Ntilkina’s future playing time isn’t helping anyone.

Stagger Minutes Properly

The New York Knicks have the personnel to go deep into their bench, with guys likeAllonzo TrierandDamyean Dotsonproving to be valuable in limited roles. Trier and Dotson are both shooting over 40% from deep, which is desperately needed for a team that needs spacing around guys like Julius Randle andR.J. Barrett.

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Most importantly, the Knicks need to avoid having isolation-heavy lineups. For example, the combination ofBobby Portis,Julius Randle, andMarcus Morrisshouldn’t be sharing the floor as their combined ball-dominant nature ultimately slows down the offense.

This isn’t to say that they should be relegated to the bench. Still, instead, David Fizdale should be surrounding them with off-ball scorers and secondary options likeKevin Knox,Taj Gibson,Wayne Ellington, and Dotson as mentioned above.

Finding a rotation that perfectly mixes isolation and ball movement is no easy task. However, Fizdale needs to see that his style of 8-9 man rotations that vary with each game is not a strategy that’s going to work with this group.

David Fizdale isn’t the only reason for the Knicks’ slow start, but he’s certainly worthy of criticism. If he can figure out how to tweak his game plan in the right way, questions about his future with the team will dissipate. If not, then he should start packing his bags.

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