Two games under .500, a trade, an injury to a star, and the Knicks are still relevant in the Eastern Conference standings.
The New York Knicks are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. And while they’ve certainly been helped by surprisingly slow starts from teams like the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and the Boston Celtics, this Knicks team has earned every win.
Our check-in at the 20-game mark featured a slight up-tick in offensive efficiency, a top-five defense, significantly improved play from RJ Barrett, and fans calling for Immanuel Quickley to start. Thirty games in, the orange and blue are still defending like it’s the 1990’s, posting a top-three defensive rating while ranking first in opponent’s field goal percentage, points per game, and three-point percentage.
Good defense here from the Knicks. Gordon comes off the stagger, Randle is there to keep the drive in front and it turns into a late switch. Everyone gets to stay at home and results in a contested shot. pic.twitter.com/uavm0SoP0n
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) February 14, 2021
On the other end, the Knicks’ offense has only made small improvements, cracking into the top-20 in three-point percentage and the top-10 in percentage of points in the paint. That being said, the orange and blue still rank 24th in offensive efficiency, 29th in three-pointers made, attempted, assists per game, and they’re bottom of the league in both pace and fastbreak points. A Tom Thibodeau offense has never been easy on the eyes, and that’s probably the main reason that the front office sought reinforcements in the form of Derrick Rose.