A new front office regime has empowered New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek. That stability has enabled Hornacek to get the players to buy in.
The New York Knicks have displayed remarkable growth over the course of the 2017-18 NBA regular season. While still flawed and inexperienced, the Knicks are 16-14 through 30 games, and committed in a way that fans haven’t seen in quite some time.
One of the primary differences between 2017-18 and previous seasons is the fact that the front office has empowered the head coach.
Jeff Hornacek is in his second season as head coach of the Knicks, but the first was viewed by many as a throwaway. Speculation existed that former team president Phil Jackson was undermining Hornacek by forcing him to run the triangle offense.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, franchise player Kristaps Porzingis explained that a freed and revitalized Hornacek has created an entirely new culture in the locker room.
That’s enabled the players to fight through difficult losses instead of crumbling beneath the pressure that existed both on and off the court in 2016-17.
"“The way from Day 1 they introduce us to the offense and things we are going to run. You can tell right away that’s the stuff they wanted to do and that’s what [Hornacek] believes in. As players, we feel that right away. He was maybe forced to run a little bit of that and do this and do that. You can tell as a player. You feel that.“When things aren’t going well, it’s like, ‘Why are we doing this?’ When you believe in something, when things aren’t going well, you keep doing it and soon it will work out.”"
The latter portion of Porzingis’ statement is one that reflects the most significant change to the long fractured culture.
When Jackson was team president of the Knicks, the off-court issues damaged the quality of play on the court. The public feud between the lead executive and the franchise player was an undeniable distraction, and it prevented many from committing wholeheartedly to the triangle.
In 2017-18, the players are buying in and committing to an offensive system—a failsafe that can save them from their own frustration.
The continuity on offense has resulted in improved energy on defense, with New York allowing 3.5 fewer points per 100 possessions in 2017-18 than in 2016-17.
A season ago, losses were compounded by the fact that the players felt as though the front office was working against them. In 2017-18, the players can come to work without feeling as though there’s an internal power struggle.
That alone has enabled coach Hornacek to create a closer connection with his players, and thus, implement the system he wanted to run a season ago.
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Due in large part to the empowerment of head coach Jeff Hornacek, the New York Knicks aren’t allowing frustration to derail their season.
A system has been established and a new culture is being formed.