New York Knicks: It Was Only The Preseason Opener
Unspeakably High Production
The New York Knicks may not be an elite defensive team in 2016-17, but it’s hard to imagine it being as poor as it appeared against the Houston Rockets. New York didn’t just let up 130 points; it gave up 60 from distance alone.
During the 130-103 blowout, Houston shot 20-of-42 on 3-point field goals, giving it 60 points on 47.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
For perspective, the Golden State Warriors converted an NBA record 13.1 3-point field goals per game in 2015-16. The Sacramento Kings ranked dead last in the NBA with an average of 10.2 3-point field goals made per game.
In other words, the likelihood of New York allowing 20 3-point field goals made per game is closer to impossible than plausible.
In the aftermath of the loss to Houston, all the Knicks were talking about was defense. From the players to the coaches, the topic of conversation was improving on that end of the floor.
Starting point guard Derrick Rose said as much during his post-game interview.
.@drose: "We have to be that team defensively that you know you are going to have a hard time on that side of the floor." #NYKvsHOU
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 5, 2016
Here’s the thing: the Knicks’ defense should improve by merely adding one player who wasn’t active against the Rockets.