Knicks · Kyle Oquinn has untapped upside (page 1)

I like him starting 4 for us. It takes unnecessary pressure off KP but more than that Oquinn is a guy who may be really good for this system. Hes big 6-11 250+ and he is a threat from every major category. He can score 13-17 points with PT hes a rebounder--hes a passer and he defends. He s like a cheap version of Monroe with better defensive skills who if given the PT might be able to put up similar contribution for 1/4 of the price. The only negative that I noticed is that he started taking 3's last year and that took him away from the basket and his reb% went down a bit. Its always nice to be able to hit a 3 but his bread and butter should be in the high% shots rebounding passing and playing D

Pt at the 4 will be determind by matchup wouldnt really matter who starts. KP can earn a lot of time if he is successful at guarding stretch 4s. Quinn by low post D and paint enforcing/reb.

His statistics indicate he is much better starting at C

TPercy wrote:His statistics indicate he is much better starting at C

I'm pretty sure O'Quinn is mainly gonna play center. I also see no reason to try and Protect KP6 as if he's a delicate flower. The kid already played pro ball against grown men. He should play until he shows he can't handle it. You draft a top 4 pick to play!!!

BRIGGS wrote:I like him starting 4 for us. It takes unnecessary pressure off KP but more than that Oquinn is a guy who may be really good for this system. Hes big 6-11 250+ and he is a threat from every major category. He can score 13-17 points with PT hes a rebounder--hes a passer and he defends. He s like a cheap version of Monroe with better defensive skills who if given the PT might be able to put up similar contribution for 1/4 of the price. The only negative that I noticed is that he started taking 3's last year and that took him away from the basket and his reb% went down a bit. Its always nice to be able to hit a 3 but his bread and butter should be in the high% shots rebounding passing and playing D

I feel the same way about O'Quinn.

Orlando is one of the teams that can't think for themselves and want to force players to be the new "it" thing.... right now it's the "stretch 4". So corny.

If we continue to run the triangle and establish an identity with the group we have things are going to be great for us. Would be a blessing if O'Quinn really can have that break out year we think he could have. He's at the right age for it

nixluva wrote:

TPercy wrote:His statistics indicate he is much better starting at C

I'm pretty sure O'Quinn is mainly gonna play center. I also see no reason to try and Protect KP6 as if he's a delicate flower. The kid already played pro ball against grown men. He should play until he shows he can't handle it. You draft a top 4 pick to play!!!

Agreed.

In addition, I think the center position may make the best use of his skill set. It will put him mainly in the post, pick and roll, and opportunities for him to create for his teammates

He seems like a perfect option when playing small ball.

blkexec wrote:He seems like a perfect option when playing small ball.

i approve this message. in fact if he starts he's the 4, if he subs he's a 5.

If you guys want Oquinn to play back up center, then what does Seraphin do?

EnySpree wrote:If you guys want Oquinn to play back up center, then what does Seraphin do?

The beauty of both is that they can play the 4 or the 5...

Rolo,o'quinn or seraphin
Kp6,o'quinn or seraphin or d will

="EnySpree"]
If you guys want Oquinn to play back up center, then what does Seraphin do?
[/quote]

4-5 is interchangeable in the NBA but I'm looking at this

Starter

5 Robin Lopez
4 Kyle Oquinn

Back up

5 Seraphin
4 kp

Then you can also move CA or dw to 4 for pace move kp to 5 etc....

I'm on the same page as Briggs and fitzfarm.... I'm just curious about what the other guys are saying

I think most of us like O'Quinn. I think Phil was loading the team up with guys who could provide the kind of presence and production in the Front court we need even if you have injuries. These guys are pretty flexible and that actually makes them good fits in this system. If KP shows he can get it done I think he starts. If not we have it covered. The reason I think KP ends up starting is because he brings legit floor spacing to the lineup where RoLo and Melo can post and you have no issues of overlap. O'Quinn is not really that player. KP is far more of a threat on the perimeter setting screens for PnP looks or quickly flashing to the elbow or corner 3. He's simply a more flexible offensive player.

nixluva wrote:I think most of us like O'Quinn. I think Phil was loading the team up with guys who could provide the kind of presence and production in the Front court we need even if you have injuries. These guys are pretty flexible and that actually makes them good fits in this system. If KP shows he can get it done I think he starts. If not we have it covered. The reason I think KP ends up starting is because he brings legit floor spacing to the lineup where RoLo and Melo can post and you have no issues of overlap. O'Quinn is not really that player. KP is far more of a threat on the perimeter setting screens for PnP looks or quickly flashing to the elbow or corner 3. He's simply a more flexible offensive player.

O'Quinn can hit the jumper, pass from the high post and on the interior....he blocks shots and sets great screens too.... it's a tougher job for Fisher than you are describing.

We all want KP to be the franchise guy but he might need to be that backup for now. Nothing wrong with that.

EnySpree wrote:

nixluva wrote:I think most of us like O'Quinn. I think Phil was loading the team up with guys who could provide the kind of presence and production in the Front court we need even if you have injuries. These guys are pretty flexible and that actually makes them good fits in this system. If KP shows he can get it done I think he starts. If not we have it covered. The reason I think KP ends up starting is because he brings legit floor spacing to the lineup where RoLo and Melo can post and you have no issues of overlap. O'Quinn is not really that player. KP is far more of a threat on the perimeter setting screens for PnP looks or quickly flashing to the elbow or corner 3. He's simply a more flexible offensive player.

O'Quinn can hit the jumper, pass from the high post and on the interior....he blocks shots and sets great screens too.... it's a tougher job for Fisher than you are describing.

We all want KP to be the franchise guy but he might need to be that backup for now. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't disagree that O'Quinn has some nice overall skill in terms of passing and even hitting some shots from different areas of the floor, but I don't see him being on the same level in terms of shooting the ball and moving around the perimeter as KP. I think teams would be much more fearful of KP roaming Mid Range to 3pt territory than O'Quinn. I'm not trying to diss O'Quinn just making the point that this isn't his thing being a Stretch 4 type who is expected to be on the move, catch and shoot from anywhere like KP can.

nixluva wrote:

EnySpree wrote:

nixluva wrote:I think most of us like O'Quinn. I think Phil was loading the team up with guys who could provide the kind of presence and production in the Front court we need even if you have injuries. These guys are pretty flexible and that actually makes them good fits in this system. If KP shows he can get it done I think he starts. If not we have it covered. The reason I think KP ends up starting is because he brings legit floor spacing to the lineup where RoLo and Melo can post and you have no issues of overlap. O'Quinn is not really that player. KP is far more of a threat on the perimeter setting screens for PnP looks or quickly flashing to the elbow or corner 3. He's simply a more flexible offensive player.

O'Quinn can hit the jumper, pass from the high post and on the interior....he blocks shots and sets great screens too.... it's a tougher job for Fisher than you are describing.

We all want KP to be the franchise guy but he might need to be that backup for now. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't disagree that O'Quinn has some nice overall skill in terms of passing and even hitting some shots from different areas of the floor, but I don't see him being on the same level in terms of shooting the ball and moving around the perimeter as KP. I think teams would be much more fearful of KP roaming Mid Range to 3pt territory than O'Quinn. I'm not trying to diss O'Quinn just making the point that this isn't his thing being a Stretch 4 type who is expected to be on the move, catch and shoot from anywhere like KP can.

I think we should just go with PF by committee approach. I like that O'Quinn can finish inside and hit a mid-range j, but he gets exosed on D in certain matchups. Same can be said for KP at this point. We're going to have to play it by ear this season. I just wish we had a veteran presence like David West or Kenyon Martin to help mentor these guys. This isn't the 80s. A lot more is expected from today's power forwards and there's a bit more of a learning curve. Of course, I would be happy if one of those guys claimed the spot out of the gate, but that's probably not gonna happen.

BigDaddyG wrote:

nixluva wrote:

EnySpree wrote:

nixluva wrote:I think most of us like O'Quinn. I think Phil was loading the team up with guys who could provide the kind of presence and production in the Front court we need even if you have injuries. These guys are pretty flexible and that actually makes them good fits in this system. If KP shows he can get it done I think he starts. If not we have it covered. The reason I think KP ends up starting is because he brings legit floor spacing to the lineup where RoLo and Melo can post and you have no issues of overlap. O'Quinn is not really that player. KP is far more of a threat on the perimeter setting screens for PnP looks or quickly flashing to the elbow or corner 3. He's simply a more flexible offensive player.

O'Quinn can hit the jumper, pass from the high post and on the interior....he blocks shots and sets great screens too.... it's a tougher job for Fisher than you are describing.

We all want KP to be the franchise guy but he might need to be that backup for now. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't disagree that O'Quinn has some nice overall skill in terms of passing and even hitting some shots from different areas of the floor, but I don't see him being on the same level in terms of shooting the ball and moving around the perimeter as KP. I think teams would be much more fearful of KP roaming Mid Range to 3pt territory than O'Quinn. I'm not trying to diss O'Quinn just making the point that this isn't his thing being a Stretch 4 type who is expected to be on the move, catch and shoot from anywhere like KP can.

I think we should just go with PF by committee approach. I like that O'Quinn can finish inside and hit a mid-range j, but he gets exosed on D in certain matchups. Same can be said for KP at this point. We're going to have to play it by ear this season. I just wish we had a veteran presence like David West or Kenyon Martin to help mentor these guys. This isn't the 80s. A lot more is expected from today's power forwards and there's a bit more of a learning curve. Of course, I would be happy if one of those guys claimed the spot out of the gate, but that's probably not gonna happen.

You have to like the high % post game. No need for him to expand his game past 12 feet. If he needs a spot up 3 once in awhile the right corner is usually the best shot anyway. the Knicks need to make sure he gets more gas in that block

BRIGGS wrote:I like him starting 4 for us. It takes unnecessary pressure off KP but more than that Oquinn is a guy who may be really good for this system. Hes big 6-11 250+ and he is a threat from every major category. He can score 13-17 points with PT hes a rebounder--hes a passer and he defends. He s like a cheap version of Monroe with better defensive skills who if given the PT might be able to put up similar contribution for 1/4 of the price. The only negative that I noticed is that he started taking 3's last year and that took him away from the basket and his reb% went down a bit. Its always nice to be able to hit a 3 but his bread and butter should be in the high% shots rebounding passing and playing D

Great article on Kyle O'Quinn over at posting and toasting: http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2015/9.... He really does remind you of Greg Monroe -- similar size, strengths (both are real adept passers) and weaknesses (a lack of overall athleticism and explosion, although O'Quinn's far from terrible here). I mean shit, this dude might be even better than Monroe eventually -- better jumper and he's more of a shot-blocker than Monroe. Monroe's been the more established/higher usage player thusfar but who's to say that if we use KO the same way, we couldn't get similar production? I agree that he should be the starting 4 and then slide over to backup 5 to ensure optimal playing time. With 30+ mins. and enough shot attempts, he should be a real rock for us inside -- say something close to 14/10/3+ assts/1.5 steals/1.5 blks -- maybe better production than that. All depends how the Knicks use him -- if they wanted to, I bet very quietly they could squeeze close to all-star numbers outta this guy. Hey, if he got over 30 mins with enough touches (say 15 or more attempts per), why not? It wouldn't shock me...Probably won't see that kind of usage on account of all the other bigs that will need to be incorporated plus you figure as of right now Melo and Afflalo will probably be the two big scoring options going in so 15+ attempts at the basket/night is questionable as well. Just saying though--the potential's there for very good production if we chose to lean on him... This really was a great signing. Love the videos Jon Schulman picked out to enhance his article too, esp. the one against the Wizards -- even though he only scored 10 pts that night, his entire game was on full display in that clip against Washington and you can see the overall impact he's capable of having on both ends.

Exciting to get going soon. Really looking forward to a good season and being A LOT better than last year.

^^^Great post and I agree. That was a great article. I can't wait for training camp/preseason to start hearing and seeing Knick stuff.

i am not so sure he's untapped

Untapped backside too.