The New York Knicks fans spent the 2024-25 regular season wondering why an elite on-paper perimeter defense was struggling to produce the expected results. With OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart leading the charge, New York shouldn't have ranked No. 26 in opponent three-point field goal percentage.
Thankfully, it's taken new head coach Mike Brown less than a full season to resolve an issue that plagued Tom Thibodeau's team a year ago.
New York is vastly improved at No. 15 in the NBA in opponent three-point field goal percentage in 2025-26. It's done so by lowering its allowed percentage from 37.8 in 2024-25 to 35.6 during Brown's first season at the helm.
It was far from an overnight success story, however, as the Knicks were still struggling at No. 21 in opponent three-point field goal percentage through Dec. 31 at 36.9 percent.
Since the calendar turned over to 2026, the Knicks have ranked among the NBA's elite in that same statistic. New York is No. 5 in the Association at 34.1 percent since Jan. 1—an impressive feat considering it ranks No. 15 in attempts allowed during that time.
The relatively high number of attempts allowed actually plays a significant part in why the Knicks' defense has managed to right the ship, as they've altered their strategy and thus unleashed an elite all-around defensive unit.
Knicks tapping into defensive potential by shutting down the 3
A season ago, the Knicks allowed the fifth-fewest three-point field goal attempts in the NBA. That spoke to several possibilities, with optimism stating that it had a valuable ability to run teams off the line. What it also revealed, however, was how comfortable teams were with attacking the paint.
Undoubtedly influenced by the injury-related absence of Mitchell Robinson, who played just 17 games in 2024-25, the Knicks ranked No. 20 in points allowed in the paint at 50.2.
Fast forward to 2025-26 and Robinson has appeared in 45 of a possible 62 games. It's no coincidence that the Knicks are No. 4 in the Association in points allowed in the paint at 44.3. With the paint no longer a welcoming place, New York has forced teams to settle for jump shots.
After struggling early to prevent said attempts from going in, the Knicks are now defending at a high level in every phase of the game.
The result: New York ranks No. 7 in the NBA in defensive rating for the season and No. 4 since Jan. 1. It's a direct result of Robinson and even known subpar defender Karl-Anthony Towns stepping up to help protect the paint, and the perimeter defenders finally forcing misses from three.
The 2025-26 season has produced its share of ups and downs for the Knicks, but Brown has rounded the defense into elite form at the perfect time of year.