3 Bad habits the New York Knicks have to avoid

New York Knicks: Getting complacent on defense

The Knicks have looked lazy on defense all year, something I cannot believe I’m saying that about a Tom Thibodeau team.

If New York played defense like this last year, they would not have made the playoffs.  Plain and simple.

The Knicks ran on defense last year. Being one of the worst offensive teams did not seem to matter due to their tough defense, and now that has completely flipped.

After signing Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, while RJ Barrett seems to have made an offensive jump, the Knicks are now an average team on offense.

As mentioned by Adam Kester, the Knicks need to make a defensive adjustment ASAP.

One of the biggest issues is that the Knicks just seem like they rely on their offense to a point where they’ve lost that edge defensively.

Last year the Knicks seemed to contest every shot they could. Nobody was allowed to shoot an open shot, regardless of their ability to shoot.

In the 2020-21 season, RJ Barrett contested the most three-point attempts in the NBA with 306.  Barrett is still in the top 15 this year, but it goes to show that the team seems more complacent on the defensive end.

It would be understandable why the Knicks could get complacent, as their three-point shooting has become some of the best in the league. However, their three-point defense has become literally the worst in the league.

It shocks me that coach Tom Thibodeau is not making adjustments or making the Knicks hold their “accountability” that has become such a common word with the team.

The defense made the Knicks who they were last year, and if they do not get back to giving that grind-it-out defensive effort, they will have to worry about becoming a team in a play-in game.