Knicks’ supporting cast a step ahead of their stars: ‘That’s why we have 82 games’

CLEVELAND — Who would have thought? Early returns show the Knicks’ supporting cast is ahead of its stars.

Three games into the 2023-24 season, Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson need GPS tracking to locate the bottom of the net.

Yet entering the first game of a back-to-back against the Cavaliers — on the road at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Tuesday, then back at Madison Square Garden to host the Cavs on Wednesday — the Knicks’ supplementary role players have powered the engine on both ends of the floor.

Offensively, RJ Barrett has taken his game to the next level. Defensively, Mitchell Robinson and Quentin Grimes have become one of the NBA’s premier one-two-punch combos.

Immanuel Quickley is playing about at the level that earned him runner-up honors for Sixth Man of the Year, Josh Hart is an energizer bunny with a three-point stroke, and Isaiah Hartenstein’s abilities as a screener, rebounder and finisher sustain the Knicks in minutes Robinson is on the bench.

And then there’s Donte DiVincenzo: a wild card — the lone free-agent acquisition for a Knicks team looking to improve on a season where it finished fifth in the East and stunned the fourth-seeded Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs last year.

That’s head coach Tom Thibodeau’s nine-man rotation, and it would take an act of God or an early blowout for the Knicks coach to push the needle to 10 or more.

The Knicks dropped two of their first three games of the season, but morale remains high for a team that’s only a few errors away from a 3-0 record.

While Brunson and Randle have struggled to generate offense, plays made by Barrett, Robinson, Grimes and Co. keep hope alive.

“If you look up the scoreboard and in the first quarter you see Jalen Brunson has two points, to still be in the game at that point says something about us as a team,” says Hartenstein. “I’m excited. [These games are] going to be great for us moving forward. Just take the good and the bad and keep moving forward.”

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This version of Barrett is hardly recognizable. This rendition of the Knicks’ wing is making plays for his teammates.

The Barrett suiting up in white, orange and blue this season is suddenly cash from the mid-range. He is leading the Knicks in scoring in early-season small sample size — and he’s doing it while Brunson and Barrett struggle as focal points of opposing team defensive game plans.

Brunson and Randle will get it going at some point. The pair of Knicks stars shot 11-of-43 in the season-opener against the Boston Celtics and 8-of-29 in Saturday’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Brunson hit eight threes in the Knicks’ win over the Hawks, but Randle shot just 4-of-10 from the field in a near triple-double effort. In the loss to the Pelicans, he turned the ball over eight times. His career-high is nine, and he had a turnover rescinded at the end of the first quarter.

Yet the Knicks only lost to the Celtics by four, and despite turning the ball over 19 times in a poor performance from both of their stars, they held the Pelicans under 100 points and lost, 96-87, because they gave away one too many possessions. The Knicks held a double-digit lead against the Hawks before turnovers made it a single-digit game late in the fourth quarter.

They easily could be 0-3 right now if it wasn’t for Barrett’s improved play.

Entering Tuesday’s Halloween matchup against the Cavaliers, the fifth-year wing out of Duke is tied with Miami’s Bam Adebayo for 25th in scoring at 22.7 points per game. He also ranks 25th in three-point percentage among qualifying players who are attempting at least five shots from downtown per game.

Barrett’s growth is as clear as day.

There’s another season of NBA basketball under the belt for the third-overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The game has slowed down. Barrett has matured.

“It’s all around,” Thibodeau said of his starting wing. “It’s movement without the ball. That’s huge.”

Naturally, that maturation comes after the Knicks made a deep playoff run for the first time in his career. Barrett peaked in the second round, averaging 20.8 points on 37.8 percent shooting from downtown against the Miami Heart.

Less than three months later, he donned a Team Canada jersey in FIBA World Cup play. Barrett was his country’s second-best player behind Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He averaged 16.8 points on 37% shooting from three and eliminated Brunson and Hart with a Canadian victory over Team USA for World Cup bronze.

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For all the “ritter” about acquiring a superstar big man — that the Knicks would be first in line to empty the cupboards for the likes of Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns should either become available — Mitchell Robinson is a star in his role.

Robinson is a screen-setter, rebounder, rim-protector and, of course, lob-pass finisher. He is all the things the Knicks need with three scorers and three-and-D wing Grimes starting alongside him.

In the win over the Hawks, Robinson finished with four blocks and four steals to go with 13 rebounds and seven points. Many of the plays he makes don’t register on the stat sheet.

“That’s what I’m saying. I think to his teammates, the people in our organization, there’s a great appreciation because oftentimes, there’s not really a stat for that, and it’s so vital to the team,” Thibodeau explained. “That’s what makes everything go. So the rim protection, and then offensively the screening, and then rolling to the rim, force the defense to collapse. That’s unselfishness. And when you do that, you’re making a commitment to the team.

“So I know his teammates appreciate him, and certainly the coaches and our entire organization, front office. He has great value.”

Grimes has become the de facto Knicks perimeter defensive stopper. He helped hold Trae Young to 4-of-16 shooting from the field and made Jayson Tatum work for his 34 points in the season-opening loss to the Celtics.

Grimes said Robinson makes his job easier.

“He’s probably the most important guy defensively, knowing that I’ve got a guy like that behind me in the paint,” he said after the Hawks victory. “If I get beat, I know I’ve got someone like that who can block shots, alter shots.

“Not even block because you’ve gotta put it up super-high to get over him. He’s the most important guy defensively on our team.”

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The Knicks need Brunson and Randle to step it up, and the pair of franchise cornerstones accept the responsibility.

Randle took accountability for his eight turnovers in the loss to the Pelicans, but his teammates insisted they need to step-up and create easier passing lanes when opponents send the double team.

Brunson shot 28.6 percent from the field in two separate games: a 6-of-21 effort against the Celtics and a 4-of-14 shooting night in the loss to the Pelicans.

Randle and Brunson are both confident in an inevitable bounce-back.

“I’ve just gotta be better, more patient, gotta be under control,” Brunson said. “I just missed shots that I normally make., So I’m not really too worried about it, but I need to be better.”

The Knicks will go as their stars go, but it’s clear Barrett, Robinson and Grimes are stars in their own roles. These performances are important. History suggests Randle and Brunson will be in the All-Star conversation this season, but if Barrett and Robinson can play their way into the conversation, as well, the East’s third seed could be within the Knicks’ grasp once their stars show up and show out.

“I think that’s why we have 82 games. Get everybody back in rhythm, everybody back in the flow,” said Barrett. “Make the mistakes early, all teams are doing that. Nobody’s perfect and nobody’s in their perfect stride yet.”