Knicks’ Obi Toppin, Josh Hart will have bigger roles if Julius Randle can’t play in Game 1
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April 13, 2023 7:37pm
April 13, 2023 7:37pm
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The Knicks got a glimpse of life without Julius Randle for the final five games of the regular season, offering a look at what their options will be if their leading scorer is unable to make it back to the starting lineup in time for Saturday’s opener of their first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers.
Backup power forward Obi Toppin almost certainly would continue to start in Randle’s absence after the 2020 lottery pick averaged 21.2 points per game in his late-season opportunity.
Playing a smaller lineup featuring versatile guard Josh Hart, a strong rebounder, receiving extended minutes at power forward off the bench also remains a possibility if Randle isn’t fully ready to open the series, presenting multiple options for Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
“That’s the way you look at it,” Thibodeau said after practice Thursday in Tarrytown. “Obviously, you prefer to have all your players, but the silver lining is that earlier [this season] when Obi was out, Jericho [Sims] got in there and I think we were 10-5 during that stretch. Jalen [Brunson] was out, so we get [Immanuel Quickley] starting, and he did a good job for us.
“[When] Julius was out, Obi started, and he did a good job, and Josh got to play the 4. Those are all things that I think are helpful. So whatever your circumstances are, make the best of those circumstances, and that’s what I like about our team. I think they’ve done that all year long.”
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Randle again participated in “parts of practice” Thursday and is “continuing to progress,” according to Thibodeau, albeit still without contact.
Asked if he’d be comfortable playing Randle without any full-contact practices in more than two weeks since suffering the injury on March 29, Thibodeau replied, ”Whatever medical [says], that’s where you have to trust the medical staff and you trust Julius. … They’re the experts, and Julius knows his body. The medical people, I have a lot of confidence in. We’re not gonna put him at risk. If he can go, he’ll go. We know that. He’s a gamer. If he can go, he’ll go.”
Randle, who averaged 25.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, would greatly help the Knicks combat Cleveland’s dual starting big men, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, on the boards.
Toppin, who played collegiately at Dayton, averaged only 3.2 rebounds over the past five games, including one in 19 minutes in his first start in place of Randle on March 31 in Cleveland.
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The 6-foot-5 Hart grabbed 7.0 rebounds per game in 25 appearances for the Knicks following a February trade from Portland, and Sims also conceivably could see spot minutes off the bench at power forward for added size up front if Randle doesn’t play.
To that end, Thibodeau also was reminded that his Bulls won a playoff series in 2013 against the Nets without injured All-Star Derrick Rose, now a non-rotation player on the Knicks’ bench.
Brunson also put forth a breakout performance in the playoffs last spring while star teammate Luka Doncic was sidelined with an injury for the Mavericks’ first three postseason games against the Jazz.
“That’s what goes into winning. You want your players to understand that,” Thibodeau said. “So, you don’t replace them — you’re talking about Chicago when Derrick went out. Same thing when Jalen went out. Same thing when Julius went out.
“You’re not gonna replace those guys individually, so you have to replace them collectively. And when we say collectively, we’re talking about everyone is capable of playing great defense. Everyone is capable of rebounding great, and everyone is capable of taking care of the ball.
“And if we do those three things, that’s gonna put us in position to win, regardless of who we’re playing against or where we’re playing. So, having everyone understand our margin of error is smaller, but we can get it done, that’s the mindset that we want to have.”
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