What is going on with the New York Knicks defense?

New York Knicks: The defense should catch up

One of the most recurring themes when discussing this 2021-22 New York Knicks heading into the season was familiarity. The camaraderie of the team — bringing back almost the exact same roster in the 2nd year under Thibodeau and how the chemistry would be among the league’s best.

That may be true, but this team is clearly trying to evolve into something more than last year’s squad that was bounced in the first round. It’s resulted in some growing pains.

The only significant changes from last season, aside from the new rookies, were newcomers Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker into the starting lineup.

We’ve seen the good and the bad from the team so far.

The offense is clearly more dynamic, and although they’ve had stretches of inconsistency, the long-term outlook of the offense is much better than it was a season ago. As we get more completed games under our belts, we’ll see the new additions pay dividends late in games when the team needs buckets. We’ve seen that happen a few times already this season.

As it pertains to the defense, I think this is just an adjustment that the team can make with more experience in this new, more dynamic roster.

This has nothing to do with individual defensive ability. The idea that there has been a drastic dropoff in defense because of Fournier and Walker replacing Bullock and Payton doesn’t have much credence to it.

Eflrid Payton and Reggie Bullock are not “full-court” players, as a matter of fact, dealing with fast players are probably both of their biggest weaknesses.

The Knicks need more individual focus, repetition, and effort when defending in transition. Players from last season such as Julius Randle, Alec Burks, and Derrick Rose have to get used to the idea that they could be running more and playing a more full-court game.

Whatever it may be, just give it time. I would trust a Tom Thibodeau-led team to adjust on defense.