New York Knicks: Five Areas NYK Must Improve

3. Defending The Pick & Roll

One could argue that no play is more prominent in the modern era than the pick and roll. Chalk that up to Jerry Sloan and Mike D’Antoni experiencing extraordinary success, if you will, but the reality is simple: it’s happening.

Unfortunately for the New York Knicks, they’ve been nothing short of horrendous when defending the pick and roll in 2016-17.

The Knicks are allowing 8.5 points per game to pick and roll dive men, which is the ninth-worst mark in the NBA. The percentage is relatively low, but the Knicks are allowing the play to be run far too often.

New York is also allowing 17.8 points per game to the pick and roll ball handler, which adds up to 26.3 points allowed via the pick and roll per game.

There’s an undeniable need for the Knicks to buckle down and deny the pick and roll before the play can be run. They’re defending it reasonably well at times, but it has trouble preventing the play from being executed altogether.

The likes of Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, Courtney Lee, Justin Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Joakim Noah need to collectively step up.