Dylan Backer
The New York Knicks trounced the Chicago Bulls badly on Friday night, destroying them from the get-go en route to a 40-point victory by a score of 136-96. They started the game on a 20-1 run and never looked back.
Knicks’ Jeremy Sochan provided a spark against the Bulls
With the game being so lopsided, Mike Brown was able to give Jeremy Sochan an opportunity to make a name for himself and a potential option in the playoffs. Sochan put together his best performance since joining the Knicks, and was a key contributor behind the victory.
Karl-Anthony Towns sat the game out with right elbow impingement, so Sochan was essentially the backup center behind Mitchell Robinson. Sochan recorded seven points, eight rebounds, one steal and one block all in just 17 minutes of action. He was a +30 in those minutes and named Defensive Player of the Game by head coach Mike Brown.
“It allowed us to do a lot of things like switch pick and rolls,” Brown said while giving Sochan the Defensive Player of the Game nod, via SNY’s Ian Begley. “It brought a different element to our game. Not just offensively with the speed, but defensively with switching a lot of things and just keeping the ball in front of us.”
Will Sochan be in the playoff rotation?
It was also worth noting that Sochan took the minutes from Jose Alvarado and Mohamed Diawara. Neither of those two played in the first half and didn’t see their first action until garbage time, which could be an indication that Brown is trying to round out his playoff rotation.
While Sochan likely won’t receive a ton of minutes in the postseason, his performance on Friday showed that he can provide a positive impact in short spurts if his services are needed. He can provide some defense and versatility that can boost the Knicks’ defensive strategy.
New York has clinched their spot in the playoffs already, and are chasing the Boston Celtics for the second seed with four games remaining. The two teams have one more matchup together next week, which could be pivotal. Currently, they are 2.5 games behind the Celtics for the second seed.
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