New York Knicks Are Legitimate Eastern Conference Contenders

3. Interior Defense

The New York Knicks boasted one of the most dominant interior defenses in the NBA during the 2015-16 regular season. The truth is in the numbers: New York was No. 1 in the Association in defensive field goal percentage at the rim.

Though a 32-50 record implies that the interior defense wasn’t strong enough to win, it’s important to note that New York was 22-22 through 44 games.

Going 10-28 the rest of the way is discouraging, but the 22-22 record establishes that New York was doing something well enough to be a factor in the postseason hunt. Its flaws—primarily its guard play—forced the team to collapse down the stretch.

Its interior defense, however, gave the Knicks a chance to overcome dreadful guard play and make the playoffs—and in 2016-17, there will be superior balance.

Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah should be just as effective, if not more so, than KP6 and Robin Lopez were. Courtney Lee and Lance Thomas should help anchor the defensive perimeter, and even the inconsistent Brandon Jennings and Derrick Rose should be better than Jose Calderon.

Between the interior defense and Noah’s vocal leadership, the Knicks’ defense should be strong enough on its own to reach 35-to-40 wins—an intriguing truth considering its improvements in other areas.