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It was no secret the Knicks would be a work-in-progress out of the gates this season after they spent the offseason uprooting the starting five with major acquisitions. At 4-4 with some disheartening losses, it’s evident they’ve yet to find their new identity.
Last season, New York boasted a top-five defense backed by elite rim protection, OG Anunoby on the wing and multiple options of effective schemes under Tom Thibodeau. They played a bruising offense behind Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle’s creation, then incorporated Isaiah Hartenstein’s top-of-key playmaking, neither the most efficient but helped by constantly winning the possession games on the boards and via limiting turnovers.
That deep center rotation is gone. Thibodeau’s usual schemes are drawing up a 17th-ranked defense, and without Randle, the offense has frequently sputtered out. While it’s too early to think New York won’t figure this out, it’s worth exploring what this team’s winning formula looks like once realized.
If the ultimate goal is a championship, the Knicks need to play at that level on both sides of the ball. And while their offense – currently third in the league – isn’t perfect, the defense looks like the far larger concern at the moment.
The rough start has been a top-to-bottom failure. Towns’ rim protection and drop coverage can be invisible for stretches, and teams have clued in on attacking him in clutch situations.
Mikal Bridges only looks like his Phoenix Suns self in spurts, which is a consistent problem across the roster. Josh Hart and Brunson look locked in for one stint and completely disengaged the next.
Miscommunication has plagued the team, an inevitable part of radically reshaping your roster. The silver lining is these are early-season issues that can be corrected in time.
One plus has been the defensive glass, where the Knicks rank tenth in the league and their starting unit collects 74.2 percent of available defensive rebounds – which would rank fifth. Though they aren’t bullying teams on the offensive boards like in past seasons, they’re at least holding their strength here.
Given we’ve seen…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/knicks-formula-winning-games-150050206.html
Author : SNY
Publish date : 2024-11-09 15:00:00
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