Knicks have looked bad and out of sync, especially late in games, but it's still early
Knicks' Jalen Brunson yells on the court during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. Credit: AP/Pamela Smith
Yes, it is disappointing. Yes, it’s not what you expected. And yes, it's way too early for fans to panic.
We’re talking Knicks basketball here, and the confusing truth is that this team — which was retooled to be a true title contender in the offseason — currently is nowhere as good or as likable as the one you cheered all the way through the first two rounds of the playoffs last season.
After collapsing in the final minutes of two straight losses to Houston and Atlanta, the Knicks have dropped below .500. With a 3-4 record heading into Friday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Knicks are off to a worse start than the 4-4 Nets, who were projected by many sportsbooks to finish with a league-low 19.5 wins.
On paper, the Knicks have a roster that should be able to compete with any team in the league. In reality, they are a team with two new starters — Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns — and are still trying to find their way.
What made last season's team must-see TV was the way the players seemed willing to run through a wall for one another. That group wasn’t as talented as the team the Knicks have on the floor right now, but they had a feeling for one another, an understanding of everyone’s strengths and weaknesses.
It was that familiarity and understanding of the mission that made it possible for them to survive injury after injury. It’s what made it possible for them to fall just one win short of getting to the Eastern Conference finals despite the fact that their starting lineup in the final game of the playoffs included only one player — Jalen Brunson — who had been in their starting lineup at the start of the season.
Judging from the looks on the faces of the players when Houston and Atlanta went on late runs in the final two games of their most recent road trip, these Knicks are not on the same page, and maybe not even on the same chapter. They clearly are feeling each other out, which has been most painfully on display with a defense that lacks physicality, communication and anything resembling rim protection.
Towns has been a huge plus on offense, averaging 23.1 points. However, his rim protection, or lack thereof, is almost painful to watch. Opponents are shooting 77.7% at the rim against him this season, compared to making 53.1% of their shots against Isaiah Hartenstein last season.
Rim protection has never been Towns’ strong suit, but that didn’t matter a whole lot when he was playing alongside Rudy Gobert, one of the best defensive centers in the league. The fact that they can’t count on Towns inside has put extra pressure on the Knicks' elite defenders, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart.
Bridges has been disappointing on both sides of the ball, which could quickly become a cause for concern considering that the Knicks mortgaged a chunk of their future to obtain him from the Nets.
Despite the fact that he played in college with Hart and Brunson, he seems ill at ease on the floor with his teammates and often disappears in crunch time. Bridges scored 10 points in just under 39 minutes in Atlanta. In the fourth quarter this season, he has averaged only 2.6 points.
Brunson, the team’s most important superstar, also has struggled, especially down the stretch of the last two losses. Brunson, of course, has pointed the finger of blame firmly at himself, which is what a team leader is supposed to do.
Here’s the good news: The Knicks are far from the only so-called contender struggling this season. Two other elite teams in the Eastern Conference — the 76ers and the Bucks — were 1-6 heading into Thursday night (Milwaukee moved to 2-6 by beating Utah, which dropped to 1-7).
With Milwaukee having dropped six straight before that win, there has been a lot of talk that the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo might part ways. There was even a report last week that the Knicks might be in the running to land the Greek Freak, which doesn’t seem likely. Not only do other teams have more to offer, but the Knicks believe the group they have can be a legitimate contender.
“I think we're still figuring it out,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Offensively, defensively, we still got to figure it out. Like I said, it's early. So we just need more time. And we'll figure it out.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
