The New York Knicks have been on a rollercoaster to start the new season.
With the arrival of the new NBA season, all eyes were on the Big Apple. The Knicks added Mikal Bridges in the offseason, then traded for Karl-Anthony Towns just before the season began. There’s been a clear effort for the Knicks to improve their squad.
However, New York hasn’t quite gotten off to the start they might have hoped. They are 4-5 through nine games, having lost three of their last four matchups. With Jalen Brunson as the team’s star, surrounded by some incredible talents, the franchise certainly expected more.
Fortunately, there is plenty of reasons to be optimistic, as early-season skids are normal, especially for a team with two newly-acquired starters and another one having been acquired at last year’s trade deadline.
The Eastern Conference is poor compared to the Western Conference. They’ve got bad records compared to the opposing conference, providing a large opportunity for teams looking to bounce back and recover their season.
However, former NBA player and current analyst Kendrick Perkins has his reservations about the Knicks, citing their defense as a problem despite having head coach Tom Thibodeau — who’s known for his defensive-mindedness. He took to “First Take” to make his opinions known about the matter.
“My blood pressure is high when I watch the New York Knicks. Are they dangerous in figuring things out? Yes, they do look great offensively,” Perkins explained.
“They have Karl-Athony Towns. He’s been putting up big numbers. But this is a Tom Thibodeau-led team. His teams are known for what? His teams are known for being pests defensively and being one of the best defensive teams in the league.
“These Knicks that I’m watching? That’s not it! And it’s concerning.”
The Knicks, offensively, won’t have problems this season. They should be a well-oiled machine in that regard. Shutting down the perimeter and forcing teams to the rim will become a strength of the Knicks’, but finding ways to protect the rim will be a struggle. Towns isn’t a known anchor defensively, and his value comes on the other end of the floor.
Last season, Towns helped lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals. It was the best season he had since entering the NBA in terms of winning. The team was a legitimate contender, and the Knicks had similar expectations placed on them.
Towns was reflecting on his last season and why it’s important to find early results on the season, and an early-season slump could have implications later on.
“This is my 10th year in the NBA. Last year was a year where I had a tremendous amount of experience garnered going to the Western Conference Finals,” Towns said. “I know when we were in Game 80, 81, 82 against the Suns, we looked back at those Game 1, Game 4, you looked back at the ones you gave away that put you in a better position whether it’s to be in the No. 1 seed, No. 2 seed, No. 3 seed, or gives us a chance to choose our destiny.
“That’s why I’m disappointed. Experience has taught me a lot. This is just as important as Game 82, and we just didn’t come out with a win. That’s what’s so disappointing to me.”
Towns isn’t the only one disappointed with the results. The entire team would like to play better, and one can expect them to continue to mesh and build out their identity as Thibodeau identifies aspects in which they should and can improve.
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