Knicks Backup Center Problem Is Rearing Its Ugly Head Again

The Knicks in general haven’t really been good in any stretch, no matter who has been on the floor for them so far this season. However, the stark difference in the drop-off in production in the minutes with Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor compared to him off the floor with one of the team’s bench centers has been an eyesore to start the season.

With KAT on the floor, the Knicks have a 110.5 offensive rating (55.4% TS%), 111.2 defensive rating, and -0.6 net rating across 190 possessions. With KAT off the floor for the Knicks, the offense craters even more, dropping to a 93.1 ORTG (43.8% TS%), with a -17.4 NETRTG.

Of those 102 non-KAT possessions, 80 have been played with Andre Drummond, who was signed in the offseason to replace Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks have a 96.3 ORTG, 112.2 DRTG, and -15.9 NETRTG across those possessions.

Drummond shined for the Knicks in the first half of his tenure with the team, dropping 10 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists in 17:42 on the floor, as the team won his minutes by seven with a 110.3 ORTG, 92.3 DRTG, and +17.9 NETRTG. In the exactly 21 minutes he’s been on the floor since that first half, the Knicks have an 82.9 ORTG, 130.2 DRTG, and -47.3 NETRTG across 41 possessions, getting outscored by 22 points during that span.

In fact, the Knicks actually have chosen to bench Drummond in each of the last two games, going with either James Wiseman or non-center lineups.

Drummond’s effort in the transition game on Sunday in the second quarter led to his most recent benching, as Wendell Carter Jr. beat him down the floor off a Mikal Bridges’ made basket that had extended the lead at the time to five points. Unlike in the team’s second game in Boston when Drummond returned for a short stretch following his initial benching, Mike Brown chose to keep him off the floor in the second half against Orlando.

Stefan Bondy of The New York Post spoke with Drummond following the game about him getting benched (again) and Drummond said all he can do is “control what [he] can control” and “cheer [his] teammates on and hope for the best.”

Mike Brown implied after the game that Drummond will remain the first backup off the bench for the Knicks for Tuesday’s game against the Pistons. Even before the game, he had put all of the reserves on notice. “First thing I wanna make clear is we have our starting five. Other than that, anybody can play,” Brown said to The New York Post on Sunday.

It’s not like the Knicks have a clear fix when Drummond minutes are going south, but they’ve tried James Wiseman in each of the last two games. Across those 18 possessions, the Knicks have an 83.3 DRTG, which is great, but they’ve put together next-to-nothing on offense in those minutes, sporting a 77.8 ORTG. The Knicks have also tried some lineups without a center with KAT off the floor, though that’s only been for four possessions.

One thing has especially become increasingly glaring. Knicks’ backup bigs, for starters, absolutely have not shown that they can operate within nine feet of the basket.

Drummond (8-of-18) and Wiseman (0-of-3) are a combined 8-of-21 (38.1%) from inside nine feet this season. For comparison, KAT is 16-of-23 (69.6%) from inside nine feet this season. Mitchell Robinson shot 72.3% from inside nine feet last season for the Knicks, but he’s now in Boston.

Basically all that Drummond has brought to the table is the fact that he’s helped the Knicks on the boards to create second-chance opportunities. The Knicks have a 31.1% offensive rebounding rate in his minutes, compared to a 22.9% OREB% with him off the floor. That’s still a drop-off compared to their backup big minutes last year, which isn’t shocking when you consider you’re replacing one of the greatest offensive rebounders. The Knicks had a 36.4% OREB% during the regular season with Mitchell Robinson on the floor last season.

We brought up on numerous occasions how it felt like the Knicks were missing the mark on settling for just Drummond as their main backup center depth coming out of the offseason and that sentiment has been strengthened through three games this season. Since his sizzling debut half with the Knicks, you can count on one finger how many moments where Drummond has impressed over the team’s last 10 quarters of basketball, and that was probably the 33-year-old taking 36-year-old Nikola Vucevic to the hoop off the dribble.

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