The New York Knicks have been the most disappointing team in the NBA. On December 11, after winning a close road game against the Lakers, they ascended the third seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the first two of five games in a seemingly easy Western Conference road series. However, after winning four of the next 16 games, the Knicks slid down eight spots and now sit out of playoff contention, having been deemed a failure this early on in the season. Why exactly are they unable to attain the offensive momentum and fortitude needed to win, and what aspects of their defense lack? I believe it’s not a lack of personnel, but a few inconsistencies and mistakes that they refuse to correct that result in their losing ways.
The Knicks’ offensive woes are somewhat surprising considering their roster. One would believe that a team with Carmelo Anthony, who only a few seasons ago was widely regarded as the best scorer in the NBA; Kristaps Porzingis, an efficient and always-improving scorer who will in a few years assuredly be among the best in the league; and Derrick Rose, an excellent finisher at the rim and a better shooter from the perimeter as of late; would be among the best offensive teams in the NBA. However, this offensive prowess has not been realized for a few reasons.
Firstly, within the last two minutes of the game, the Knicks have a horrible habit of running isolations with Carmelo Anthony. His shooting percentages in December, at roughly 34 percent from three-point range and 42 percent overall, have improved drastically following the Christmas Day game, but stagnation and a lack of ball movement in the key moments of the game still leads to him taking horrible, low-percentage shots. To rectify this problem, they must run plays that get all players involved, not isolations, and they have to work harder to involve Kristaps Porzingis in end-of-game plays, as he is shooting over 40 percent from three-point range and is far more reliable than they believe him to be. Another way would be to use Brandon Jennings, a very strong passing point guard, late in games if he is also shooting well in the game, as he is a streaky offensive player who is nearly unstoppable when hot.
The other major offensive issue for the Knicks is their starting center at the time of writing: Joakim Noah. He is finishing around the rim at significantly under league average at just around 50 percent, and when watching Knicks games, I have had to endure the pain of him missing countless open layups and tip-in shots because of his jitteriness and lack of focus while playing offense. The solution to this issue would be to start Kyle O’Quinn, a far better offensive option who finishes excellently around the rim and is one of the league’s best midrange scorers, and work to get rookie Willy Hernangómez more minutes at the backup center and power-forward position as he is a player who is not only a good finisher and rebounder, but also has shown life from outside the arc. It would be ideal to trade Noah and his huge contract, but given that he is by all standards the most overpaid player in the league, it would be tough to find any asset in return for him. Benching him and utilizing his strong rebounding skills against teams who run small lineups is the best short-term solution to this problem.
A far more apparent area of improvement for the Knicks is defense. The problem begins at the point guard position, where Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings are both incapable of defending even mediocre opponents. An example of this that I found was in the Knicks’ game against the Denver Nuggets, in which starting point guard Emmanuel Mudiay scored 22 points while shooting 67 percent from the field, including some from 3-point range. This was a defensive abomination considering that Mudiay is regarded as one of the worst-scoring point guards with his horrendous 37 percent field goal percentage and an equally bad 31 percent three-point percentage this season. The fact that such a below-average point guard was able to have such a performance proves the Knicks’ defensive woes at the point guard position.
In another instance, when watching Derrick Rose play defense on Russell Westbrook in a Knicks blowout loss, I noted that Rose gave his opponent far too much room when he was dribbling the ball to call up a play, which enabled Westbrook to drive to either side of the basket without the chance of being caught up or slowed by the defense. It’s simple things like giving too much room to defenders, not putting a hand up to contest shots near the rim (an issue I noted throughout their January loss to the 76ers), and not switching effectively on defense to prevent a guard from driving on a slower big man like Joakim Noah (a huge issue in their January loss to the Anthony Davis–led Pelicans) that result in easy points for opponents. When the Knicks ignore these things consistently, they find themselves with large point deficits. While coaching staff and fans can point out that rookie Ron Baker has been effective in helping cut point deficits through very physical defense, it is obviously best if the Knicks’ better offensive options can work to prevent deficits in the first place.
If you’re a Knicks fan this season, I sympathize with your plight. If the Knicks manage to squeeze by into the playoffs, it will be a momentous occasion for the team that last made it in 2013. Alternatively, if the Knicks decide to tank or are unable to make the playoffs, they have their first-round draft pick this season, and there is nobody I trust more than Phil Jackson to make a good decision with it, especially in this stacked draft class. There are better days ahead, and even if the Knicks can’t win right now, they can become a lot better through improving in a few small ways.
