Wassup in Westchester: W-Knicks rediscover winning ways with back-to-back victories

Every basketball team is guaranteed to experienced ups and downs — except the NBA Knicks, who seem to only experience downs. The 4-7 Westchester Knicks spent the first month of this G-League season dealing with a lot of down moments, but things are now looking up after their performance this past week.

Following victories against the Santa Cruz Warriors (104-100) and Erie BayHawks (123-106), the W-Knicks are on a two-game winning streak and have won three out of their last four. Whether it was their poor shooting, slow starts, or not figuring out their rotation, the W-Knicks could only compete for so long before ultimately dropping games. But starting on Tuesday, things changed for the better.

In their 104-100 win over the Warriors, the W-Knicks were powered by the duo of Kadeem Allen and Ignas Brazdeikis, who scored 24 points apiece and produced 13 total rebounds. As those two went off in Tuesday’s game, Allen and Brazdeikis were assisted by Ivan Rabb (11 & 8), Lamar Peters (13 Points), and Zak Irvin (10 Points). For a team that has high-caliber talent throughout its entire roster, there shouldn’t be any doubt for who will take over the game.

I’m impressed by how head coach Derrick Alston and his staff have figured out their rotation. Sporting a roster filled with a mix of veterans and young players, it wasn’t easy for Coach Alston to put each player in the best position. The W-Knicks’ recent rotation started coming together last week and it had its best showing yet. Peters, Amir Hinton, JJ Moore, and Kenny Moore are more than reliable options who could anchor a second unit or be inserted into the starting lineup.

As Andrew White III is beginning to find his rhythm again via back-to-back 20-point games, Knicks fans really should keep a close eye on forward Kenny Wooten. The 6’8” Oregon product has made waves in the -League because of his incredible athleticism and shot-blocking ability. At the moment, Wooten is second in the G-League in blocks per game at 3.4 and has produced five games with at least four blocks, including his historic eight-block performance vs. Grand Rapid last month.

Up next for the W-Knicks is a Wednesday night matchup vs. the Long Island Nets on the road.