Knicks' Elfrid Payton playing less, sitting more
Knicks guard Elfrid Payton dribbles the ball against the Raptors during the second half of an NBA game on April 24 at Madison Square Garden. Credit: AP/Noah K. Murray
He stood firmly in support of Elfrid Payton during the regular season, but after one postseason game, Tom Thibodeau seemed to at least leave the door open for a lineup change.
The Knicks’ starting point guard, who struggled badly during the final month of the regular season, saw his minutes drop to a season-low 8:01 Sunday night. He played 4 minutes and 15 seconds in the first half before getting the hook and 3 minutes and 46 seconds in the third quarter before his night was over.
He did not score, missing all three of his shots. That was a continuation of his offensive output in the final five games of the regular season, when he shot 3-for-19.
Thibodeau has maintained that he values Payton’s defense, yet at the end of the first half and again at the end of the game, he inserted Frank Ntilikina for defense.
"Regards to Elfrid, we always put the best players out there that will help us win the game," Thibodeau said. "So some guys are a bit better than others in situations, some guys may be going well. Whoever is going well, we have confidence in everyone on the roster."
Ntilikina could not stay in front of Trae Young on his winning shot with nine-tenths of a second left. But Payton did nothing to slow him down and Derrick Rose, who at least ran the offense and scored 17 points, also struggled to limit Young.
Asked if he is comfortable with an increased role for Ntilikina, Thibodeau didn’t endorse or decline.
"Well, I’m comfortable with everyone on the team," he said. "I’m around them every day, so I know what everyone’s strengths and weaknesses are. That was a good play that Young made, a great player, sort of a scramble-type play. But there are a lot of plays throughout the course of a game that we’re capable of doing better on. But we also did some really good things, too. We have to make some corrections, get ready for Game 2."
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
