Two vital Knicks reserves are heading into the season opener with unsure statuses.
Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes had been each partial individuals in Monday’s follow, with coach Tom Thibodeau claiming he’s not sure if both shall be obtainable for Wednesday evening in Memphis.
Toppin turned his ankle after stepping on a fan within the preseason finale Friday at MSG. The accident occurred whereas Toppin ran alongside the sideline, reiterating two issues about NBA followers: the costly seats are actually shut and gamers must be spatially conscious.
But Thibodeau characterised Toppin’s ankle harm as minor. Grimes’ concern appears extra regarding. At least extra complicated.
The defensive-minded wing sat most of preseason with a sore foot, however then returned absolutely to follow final week and logged 16 scoreless minutes in Friday’s preseason finale. Thibodeau wouldn’t characterize Grimes’ newest replace as a setback, however prompt the 22-year-old remains to be feeling soreness in his left foot.
“The idea behind [Grimes sitting out practice] is to get to the point where it doesn’t reoccur,” Thibodeau mentioned. “So if we have to be a little bit more patient now, that’s what we’ll do. It’s a long season, so get healthy completely. When that happens, then we’ll move forward. There’s no rush. He has to get back to a certain level health-wise with what we’re doing. …It’s a well thought-out plan. Just let it work its course.”
Grimes revealed after Friday’s recreation that the ache was round his left heel. He was noticed carrying a strolling boot earlier in coaching camp.
“It was a couple days and I was like, ‘Damn, it’ really hurts to walk a little bit,’” Grimes mentioned.
Still, the 22-year-old mentioned he healed and was pain-free instantly after the sport. Thibodeau implied Monday that Grimes felt sore later.
“He got to the point where he got to the games,” Thibodeau mentioned. “There’s nothing you can do in practices that can get to the intensity of the actual game. And even the preaseason games aren’t the same as a regular season game. You want him to go through those things, see where he is the next day and then go from there. But this is all part of getting back to playing.”
If Grimes is unavailable, it may open a chance for Cam Reddish, who struggled throughout preseason and hasn’t established Thibodeau’s belief. The coach may additionally tighten the rotation with extra minutes for Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett and/or Immanuel Quickley.
“We’ll see how it unfolds,” Thibodeau mentioned. “We have a lot of confidence in the entire team.”
As far as probably changing Toppin, Thibodeau floated enjoying small with Barrett or Reddish as energy forwards.
“We have that flexibility,” he mentioned.
BEST SHOCKER
Center Mitchell Robinson earned Thibodeau’s reward because the “surprise” in coaching camp. It’s an honor made extra particular by the powerful competitors, together with three different starters – Barrett, Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle – who dominated preseason.
“I’d say the surprise has been Mitch. He’s grown leaps and bounds,” Thibodeau mentioned. “He’s done a terrific job.”
New assistant coach Othella Harrington, who additionally performed for the Knicks within the early 2000s, has helped faucet into Robinson’s potential.
“There’s a great connection there,” Thibodeau mentioned. “Mitch deserves a bulk of the credit for making the commitment to work with him. But Othella has been fantastic for him.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com