The New York Knicks Most Glaring Problem
By James Ryder
New York Knicks: Can the defense be fixed?
Sure, this issue can partially be deterred by the team getting back to playing good offense. However, hoping you outscore your opponents who are given such easy looks isn’t all that good of a game plan. The team has to shore up the three-point defense.
The best way to solve it I think is by eradicating, or at least severely lessening, the prominence of help defense in the team’s scheme. On some nights, the Knicks have done an awesome job at doubling the ball handler to force turnovers or put the opponents in tough spots on offense. However, this has been the biggest cause for open looks by the other team.
Opponents are making the right passes and not hesitating to bury the Knicks with threes. If New York can become less willing to put so much pressure on the ball and focus on off-ball defense and on the passing lanes, then a ton of the shots other teams are taking won’t present themselves.
The Knicks also need to play with a lot more effort and energy on defense in general. This is its own giant issue.
The Knicks have perhaps played down to their competition because they expect to be an elite team and a good team overall like they were last season. But, the Knicks won’t be good at anything if they don’t play with the same mindset as last season. Yes, Walker and Fournier were big acquisitions and the Knicks offense is improved, but the Knicks have to show it and not tell it.
In other words, where did the underdog mentality go with this team? Walker is not an all-star anymore. Barrett has made strides, but he isn’t a star yet either. This team is still one that needs to fight night in and night out to get wins, especially in a deeper Eastern Conference.
Notice how 4 of the teams I mentioned, the Celtics, Pacers, Raptors, and Cavaliers, are all in the Knicks conference and or division? Every game is important but these games against in-conference rivals are even more important. The Knicks are battling these teams and several others for a playoff spot. They can’t take any games for granted if they want to maintain or improve on the success of last season and avoid the play-in tournament.
This lack of energy and effort, when talking about the team’s perimeter defense specifically, has led to late rotations and an all-out scramble at times by the defense to prevent opponents’ points.
The New York Knicks’ anchors are fantastic. Mitchell Robinson, Nerlens Noel, Taj Gibson, and even Julius Randle and Toppin, do an amazing job protecting the paint. But, that is all for not when the perimeter can’t be contained.
Being unable to cover players on the three-point line affects every other aspect of the defense. Teams can hit their threes and run up the score or continue to dish the ball around to keep the defense off balance and find open shots all over the floor.
If the Knicks’ bigs (and everyone else for that matter due to the help defense) are constantly collapsing in the paint or having to rotate to one side of the basket, teams can take advantage of the weakside or of outside shots. Centers and forwards that are constantly contesting open shots at the rim may not be able to get the rebound, a huge issue we saw against Cleveland and Philadelphia. Second chance points have and will run rampant.
Quite a few things need fixing based on the latter half of the Knicks opening 13 games. The team has held their head above water so far and a silver lining is that we have seen what this team is capable of on both sides of the floor in elite fashion at times.
But, for New York to get back to consistent winning basketball and to protect their home court, it starts with the perimeter defense. There is value to doubling guys that are big offensive threats or doubling to mask the limitations of guys like Walker or Fournier on that end, but only if it is executed correctly.
In conclusion, the keys for this team to fix this problem and avoid embarrassing hot streaks by opposing role players are the following: Ease up on help defense, play with more energy and effort on that end especially when rotating, and CONTEST THE DAMN THREE-POINT SHOOTERS!