Quarter-Season Grades for Each New York Knicks Player

The fall semester is over. Time for the New York Knicks to go home for the holidays and either brag about or apologize for the grades they've earned.

In an Eastern Conference that's as tight and topsy-turvy as a game of Twister, the 16-13 Knicks are precariously ranked fifth. With an 11-4 record at home, the team has brought some swagger back to Madison Square Garden, and so nobody is failing.

That's right. Nobody. 

Here's how grading works: It's a split between usage (up to 30 points), expectations (up to 30), defense performance (up to 20) and offense performance (up to 20). 

The system is built so that a rotation player simply doing his job earns a C, a starter simply doing his job earns a B. Reserves who've played 100 or fewer minutes total are only given pass/fail assessments. Starters get the extra points for usage but no doubt get graded harder on expectations. The defense and offense are measures of what their contributions are to their team, not what their contributions "should" be according to public opinion. 

No points off for missed games due to injuries, but players can earn bonus points if they're still active, despite assumptions they'd have crumbled into a pile of dust by game 10. 

Shall we see how the boys have done? Let's. 

Deep Reserves

15. Lance Thomas

Lance Thomas is a tricky one to judge, because while his play to start the season was particularly hideous, he was hampered by injuries. The expectations he's thoroughly failing to uphold are no doubt related to the bone bruise and plantar fasciitis he's fending off.

The fact remains that Thomas' key asset has always been how he improved the team around him, but this season the Knicks have the worst plus-minus when he is on the court (-4.9) and the best with him off it. Thomas' performance has improved recently, but not enough to be a major asset yet; just enough to not be a liability.

Grade: D 

14. Marshall Plumlee

Thus far, Marshall Plumlee has only sneaked into three games, averaging 8.8 minutes. However, he certainly exceeded expectations with the effort he made to simply reach Madison Square Garden on his debut, an afternoon matchup versus the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 20.

As the Daily News' Stefan Bondy explains, Plumlee had finished a game for the Westchester Knicks D-League team the night before, then shot hoops with his brother until midnight, not expecting to play the next day until 5 p.m. Instead, he was awoken at 10 a.m. and told to get to the Garden for a noon tipoff. Wackiness ensued.

At this point, Plumlee's still a step behind the NBA pace and not ideal for big minutes. However, his power, strength and willingness to foul hard make him an asset at the rim.

Grade: Pass

13. Maurice Ndour 

Maurice Ndour has appeared in 13 games, averaging 7.6 minutes, but they're often just brief flashes of a few ticks that you might have missed while refilling your glass. Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek mostly uses Ndour when the team needs to boost defense but often as part of a lineup so overloaded with defensive players that it cannot put a single point on the board.

Ndour is usually the first to be yanked once that realization hits.

He acquits himself when he gets time—a smart help defender who can see the plays coming his way. And occasionally he can rack up the stat sheet; He logged six points, one steal, one rebound in a mere six minutes versus the Golden State Warriors Dec. 15. 

Grade: Pass

12. Sasha Vujacic

Sasha Vujacic is doing his job. He's moving the ball without turning it over, nailing a big three from time to time, bringing some pep off the bench when asked, not complaining when he's not asked and rising off the bench with his patented stone-faced, fists-in-air Vujacician celebration pose whenever the team succeeds.

He stays ready and, as a veteran leader, shows other bench players how to do the same. After Tuesday night's win over the Indiana Pacers, Madison Square Garden kept the lights on so Vujacic, Willy Hernangomez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas could shoot hoops for an extra hour, according to reports by Mike Breen during MSG Networks' Thursday night broadcast of the Knicks' match-up against the Orlando Magic.

Let's not forget too: Vujacic was a piece of the electric Brandon & The Europeans lineup that blitzed the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 9 and zapped a few other teams throughout November. Yet, Vujacic hasn't seen much action lately, despite Derrick Rose being sidelined by back spasms for a few games. Those minutes have instead gone to someone else...  

Grade: C

11. Ron Baker

Baker has struggled with turnovers in a couple games and may have run out of gas by the fourth quarter during the Knicks' disappointing loss to the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 13. Yet, Hornacek put trust in him, because throughout 95 minutes of game play, Baker has shown he's unflappable. He's shown court vision, a hot hand and an ability to barrel to the hoop and run the fast break.

During his 13-point performance in the Knicks' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 15, the undrafted rookie earned a little hair rustle from Kevin Durant. Thursday night, with two minutes left in a decided win over the Orlando Magic, the Garden crowd chanted "We Want Baker."

He's basically the Knicks' replacement for fan-favorite Langston Galloway, and that's a good thing.

Grade: Pass, with flying colors

Bench Rotation

10. Willy Hernangomez

Watching Willy Hernangomez really is like watching a rather bulky ballerina. He twirls and swivels under the rim, eventually slipping past his defender to flip the ball up and in. It's been quite effective against certain opponents: Let loose on the Denver Nuggets for 28 minutes Dec. 17, Hernangomez scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Yet Hernangomez is still not up to snuff as an NBA defender. In that same game, he had no way to stop the Denver bigs, particularly Kenneth Faried. The Knicks fell in an ugly 127-114 loss. Despite the recent trouble against The Manimal, Hernangomez's D has been improving, and by season's end, he should be on pace.

Grade: C 

9. Joakim Noah

Some of you will wonder why it took me so long to get to Joakim Noah, who is taking a lot of blame for the Knicks' defensive struggles, as though one person defends five people. And as though part of the problem isn't that Courtney Lee is letting wings drive into the paint. And that when Noah comes up to help, Porzingis is late on the roll to protect the baseline. 

Nevertheless, it is true Noah hasn't been playing up to expectations. His free-throw shooting has been abysmal, he's not aggressive enough with his own shot inside, he's finishing poorly and he's gotten outsmarted and outmuscled by some lesser men. 

Hornacek understandably does not want to play Noah if he doesn't play well, but here's the thing: Noah is a unique animal, because despite being a high-energy guy, he isn't a good "spark off the bench" player. He needs to be in rhythm. Showing trust in him is essential. 

When Noah gets big minutes, the Knicks win. They are 8-5 in games when he plays over 20 minutes; only 4-8 in games when he has 20 or under. Although Hornacek only gave him 10 chances to play in the fourth quarter, his field-goal percentage, free-throw shooting percentage and plus-minus are all best in the fourth quarter.

Before you give his job away to Kyle O'Quinn, note that both Noah's defensive and offensive ratings are better than O'Quinn's. Noah also has twice as many assists and 7.8 rebounds to O'Quinn's 5.7. So, while he certainly has not consistently met the high expectations set for him, (by us or himself), he's still doing a good job.

He was excellent in the Knicks 118-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night—logging 11 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks (which would have been three blocks if not for a terrible goaltending call). He followed it with a solid six-point, seven-board, two-steal performance in 22 minutes versus the Orlando Magic that included two aggressive and athletic breaks to the bucket off feeds from Carmelo Anthony. Hopefully these are signs he's on his way up. 

Grade: C

8. Mindaugas Kuzminskas

Most Knicks fans would hesitate before trying to pronounce Mindaugas Kuzminskas' full name, but that doesn't stop them from shouting "KUZ!" every time he touches the ball. It didn't take long for Knicks fans to fall in love with the Lithuanian dreamboat, who shoots a solid 35.6 percent behind the arc (equal with Anthony) and has a knack for hitting threes when needed most.

"Cheese" is far more than a three-baller though. He drives, rebounds, draws fouls, growls and of course: smiles. He thoroughly surpasses expectations (of which there were none) and contributes on both ends of the floor—a deflection here, a steal there or tiptoeing along the baseline to save an errant ball before falling out of bounds. He's a hustler.

Grade: C+ 

7. Courtney Lee

Courtney Lee is doing his job. He's playing about 30 minutes per game (30.7 to be exact), distributing the ball, chasing his man, defending the perimeter and drilling the occasional jumper when everyone's focused on Melo and Porzingis.

Thursday night versus the Orlando Magic, Lee sprung into the first quarter like a man possessed, appearing to be everywhere, drilling a catch-and-shoot fadeaway or cutting in for a layup. Or stealing an inbounds pass and converting it into a quick layup in a way that would bring tears to Pablo Prigioni's eyes.

Lee is overall a very good defender, but he could step it up by slowing down opponents driving into the paint and fighting around the picks. The Knicks' interior D needs his help.

Grade: B

6. Justin Holiday

Turns out Justin Holiday really was more than an extra tossed into that Derrick Rose trade. (Also turns out that I was entirely wrong about him.)

Holiday has been as good a 3-and-D player as Courtney Lee, and a variety of lineups have performed better with the former than with the latter. The two have nearly identical defensive and offensive ratings.

Holiday's a scrambler and a scrapper who pilfered the ball from the Golden State Warriors six times in 23 minutes and will chase down a loose ball no matter where it goes, with hardly even a glimmer of excitement showing on his face—just determination.

Holiday certainly surpassed expectations, and at no point in his 19.1 minutes per game is there reason for alarm.

Grade: B

5. Brandon Jennings

Brandon Jennings truly is an electric player—exciting most of the time but occasionally dangerous.

He can pick a weak defense apart with ease and breathe life into the most stagnant offense with fast breaks, coast-to-coast layups, perfectly picked pockets and laser-focused passes (like the sweet behind-the-back dime to Hernangomez Thursday).

Against a stronger team though, Jennings' free-wheeling style can result in turnovers, sloppy fouls and frustration. Knowing when and how to rein it in is the challenge. 

However, Jennings has surpassed expectations so far this season, not just with his health but his leadership. He's proven that he can both be the distributor—racking up 12 assists off the bench Thursday—or the scorer, dropping 19 points on both the L.A. Lakers and the Sacramento Kings. 

Grade: B

4. Kristaps Porzingis

He's exemplary, just like you expected. 

Kristaps Porzingis is averaging 19.9 points, shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from behind the arc and beginning to assert himself more in the paint than he did as a willowy young rook. 

He's also logging 7.6 boards and 1.8 vicious denials per game, helping the Knicks become the league's third-best in both rebounding and blocks. He and Noah together linking up down low to reject the Phoenix Suns' Marquese Chriss or the Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner is a beautiful thing.

The only reason KP doesn't get an A+ is because, even though we know he has the skill to create for himself—driving in for dunks, hitting floaters off the dribble, posting up and nailing fall-back jumpers—he isn't quite as aggressive as he could be. He's still relying too much on assists from other players.

Obviously good ball movement is a positive thing, but 73.3 percent of his made field goals are assisted, which is more appropriate for a bench player who hits open threes. Someone with a game as complete doesn't need that much help.

Grade: A

3. Kyle O'Quinn

Despite the fact he got owned by Al Jefferson on Tuesday night, Kyle O'Quinn is having a breakthrough season on both ends of the floor.

And it's irresistible.

The highest moment might have come Thursday night with a blistering five blocks, 16 rebounds and 14 points versus the Orlando Magic. Or perhaps it was midway through O'Quinn's 20-point, 14-rebound showing against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 2.

In the most adorable halftime sideline interview ever, O'Quinn told MSG Network's Rebecca Haarlow and a happy Madison Square Garden crowd that, "Hopefully we get a win and they say 'Kyle, good job tonight.'" 

This season's slimmed-down O'Quinn has a little more speed in his feet and his mind, a better mid-range jumper and loads of hustle. His averages of 6.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks don't entirely tell the story of an ability to be a playmaker and a momentum-shifter when the Knicks have needed it most.

O'Quinn is now in all respects the true hustle player he was promised to be. Plus, he's got that great smile.

Grade: A

2. Carmelo Anthony

As Rachel Nichols pointed out on The Jump, Dec. 1, Carmelo Anthony doesn't get enough credit for being clutch—something he proved with a game-winner against the Charlotte Hornets Nov. 25, and another against the Minnesota Timberwolves. And by inspiring the team with an exhilarating third-quarter three-point parade Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers that even he seemed to find exciting. 

He's averaging 22.5 points and has had six plus-30 games already this season, five of which were wins. 

Of course, one must ask the "does he hold the ball too much" question.

Melo's ball movement has been a mixed bag this season so far. Through the last 10 games (of which he played nine), he's averaged 36.2 made passes per game, which is middle-of-the-road for starting forwards, and better than both Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. He averaged 4.4 assists during that time, which is far better than middling.

Does he rely on isolation plays too much? Probably, but he is an exceptional isolation scorer. Does the ball stop with him too much? Probably, but it's partly because the rest of the team often slows down and waits for him to operate in iso, instead of cutting and getting open. 

Because of it, though, he doesn't get the A+.

Anthony has also been hustling on the defensive end (George Karl's complaints aside), averaging 1.0 steals and 6.0 rebounds per game and hastening to get back to his man. The Knicks are having troubles with transition defense this year, but it can't be pinned on Melo. 

Grade: A

1. Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose has been the most consistently, reliably high-performing player in a Knicks jersey all season.

Yes, it was Carmelo who sunk the game-winning shot during the overtime win over Charlotte, but it was Rose who sealed it by blocking Kemba Walker's three-point attempt. (And that led to a fierce Melo-Rose hug that seemed to say "NOW we're a team.")

Rose is not expected to be the lead scorer with Melo and KP on the roster, yet he's averaging 16.8 points. He's spruced up his jumper, perfecting his one-handed floater off the dribble and shooting 45.8 percent from the field, which is better than it's been since the 2009-10 season.

He's also distributing and doing the explosive drives and hair-raising acrobatic layups that get crowds on their feet. He even went up for a dunk Thursday night, which was rejected by Serge Ibaka, but a powerful effort nonetheless. 

And yes, he had some back spasms, but only after getting through over 20 games averaging over 30 minutes and not missing a beat.

When he has missed games, Rose has come back with a vengeance. He returned after two absences and dropped 24 points on the Lakers for the win, missed another game then smacked the Pacers with 25 points, six assists and two blocks. Because his health was such a concern, Rose gets a couple points for surpassing those expectations. 

Grade: A

All stats from NBA.com/stats and up to date as of game time Dec. 23. Disagree with Sara Peters on Twitter @3FromThe7.