New York Knicks: Jeff Hornacek wants players to think defense first
New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek hears the questions about offense, but his primary focus is getting his players to buy in on defense.
With Phil Jackson out as team president, the working theory is that Jeff Hornacek will escape the confines of the triangle offense. Hornacek ran an innovative offense with the Phoenix Suns, but is believed to have been unable to experiment in that same capacity with the New York Knicks.
Although most are inquiring about what Hornacek will do about the team’s offensive system, his focus is on the other end of the floor.
New York is coming off of a season during which it ranked No. 23 in points allowed per game and No. 25 in points allowed per 100 possessions. Effort was the common flaw, as the veteran players often sacrificed defensive intensity to preserve energy for isolation offense.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Hornacek’s primary focus entering 2017-18 is to convince the team to commit to defense above all else.
"“The identity has to become defense first,” Hornacek said. “We’re not going to go out and outscore teams. We want to get back to the type of defense that the guys are putting it out there every single night…. You should be embarrassed (if an opponent scores on you). You should feel that guy can’t score on me. That’s the mentality you have every time you’re guarding the guy with the ball. Our team defense will have their rotations that they’ll be responsible for, something we’ll always follow and check up on. We really want to develop that mentality of when that guy has the ball, you’re not scoring on me.”"
Until the Knicks embrace the need to defend first and score second, they’ll remain behind the curve—no matter how visually appealing offense may be.
In 2016-17, the two teams with the best records in the NBA were the 67-15 Golden State Warriors and the 61-21 San Antonio Spurs. By comparison, the team with the third-best record was the 55-27 Houston Rockets, which lost to San Antonio during the Conference Semifinals.
Although their offensive execution was prolific, San Antonio and Golden State ranked No. 1 an No. 2 in defensive efficiency—the foundation of their success.
As teams look for ways to win, it’s more than practical to follow the model set by the two most consistent organizations of the modern NBA.
It’s worth noting that the Knicks teams of yesteryear have built their success upon a commitment to defense. That includes the 54-win campaign in 2012-13, the Patrick Ewing era, the Bernard King era, and the championship era of the 1970s.
Thus, it stands to reason that New York could rediscover its identity by committing to what has worked during every successful stretch thus far: Defense.
The need for offensive execution will remain, but an emphasis on defense promises to breed strong results. Kristaps Porzingis has already flashed elite potential as a rim protector, and that should alleviate some measure of pressure from those around him.
It goes without saying that outscoring the opposition is the goal, but that’s easier to do when the defense is reliable. That much is proven by the fact that New York was 14-2 when it held opponents to 100 or fewer points in 2016-17, and 17-49 when it failed to.
The formula for success has already been established by this core group of players.
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The question is: Will Jeff Hornacek be able to convince the New York Knicks to consistently commit to playing at a high level on the defensive end of the floor?