Despite their 14th straight loss and 15th straight at the Garden, the Knicks got a taste (or a sip of you prefer) of what could be the very beginning of an exciting future.
During their 105-92 loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Knicks had a promising group on the floor that included Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox, Allonzo Trier and Mitchell Robinson. For a six minute stretch of the second quarter, Robinson gave you a small glimpse of what he could become.
The second round pick dazzled the crowd and his team’s bench with an array of impressive alley oop dunks to tie his career high with 13 points. Robinson’s body language reeked of confidence during that impressive six minute span and you could tell that he’s already receiving valuable input from DeAndre Jordan, who’s only been here for a few minutes.
“It’s a learning curve for me because he [Jordan] can teach me a lot about defense, you know and talking more,” Robinson said after the game. “Pretty much, help my game out.”
The outburst was a very small sample, but a sample nonetheless of Robinson’s raw talents that need to be tapped into because he is a piece that the Knicks can build around.
Newly acquired Dennis Smith Jr showed off his talents as well including feeding Robinson for one of his impressive plays down low, while leading the Knicks with 25 points.
After one of Robinson’s alley oop dunks, the Knick bench was ecstatic led by an excited Jordan. “He [Jordan] also said, ‘when you got somebody on the block, seal him off, get the ball down there and go to work.”
Jordan has already offered valuable input to this young Knicks’ team but there’s a chance he could be dealt by Thursday’s 3 PM, NBA trade deadline. Not that the Knicks should hang on to him for his experience because he does have an expiring contract, but if Jordan is not traded, then Robinson and some of the other young players will benefit by his mere presence.
Another trade candidate is Wes Matthews, who was in the starting lineup. There were reports that a number of teams were interested in trading for him so the Knicks may have been showcasing him.