The New York Knicks, by and large, are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. Sure, the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Cleveland Cavaliers won’t make things easy, but the Knicks boast a star-studded roster.
On top of that, the roster has had some playoff success. They lost to the upstart Indiana Pacers last season, but they did make it that far.
Add in the motion offense full of dribble handoffs that made Mike Brown successful with the Sacramento Kings, and the Knicks should be able to maximize all of their stars.
However, they are not focusing on one massive flaw: defense.
Not Everyone Sold on New York Knicks
The Knicks had one of the better offenses last season. Karl-Anthony Towns is the best offensive center in the Eastern Conference, and Jalen Brunson is an All-NBA point guard who is more than capable of leading the offense.
Tom Thibodeau’s offense, by and large, worked. “Fixing” the offense, as Brown aims to do, shouldn’t be a priority.
“Offense was not the Knicks’ problem last year,” conceded Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. “They were top five in offensive efficiency. You may hate the way they do it, but they were able to ground out points at an efficient rate. And look, Jalen Brunson over the last couple of years in that offense turned into an All-NBA guard, an All-Star starter, all those things.”
Brunson is easily the Knicks’ best player and the face of the franchise. They made him untouchable in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is undoubtedly a much better player. Brunson simply means that much to basketball in New York.
Mike Brown aims to use him less, or at the very least, differently.
“Is Jalen Brunson going to be fully comfortable in a system that might see the ball taken out of his hands more?” Mannix asked. “Now, it’s theoretically for the greater good. It makes them more diverse in the playoffs, but I need to see that in action first.”
If Brunson isn’t maximized, the Knicks will need to turn to some backups to help carry the scoring load, and their flashy additions aren’t exactly proven winners.
New York Knicks’ Offseason Moves Were Overrated
In addition to hiring Brown as the new head coach, the Knicks signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to bolster their bench.
Clarkson is still a great bench scorer. However, he is well past his prime and hasn’t been on a winning team in several years. Yabusele looked like a high-motor player last season. That could have been a product of playing for an injured team last season.
“I’ve also been less optimistic about the Jordan Clarkson stuff,” Mannix added. “Jordan Clarkson, if this was five years ago, I would have been more bullish on Jordan Clarkson, but his shooting percentages have gone down as of late. Guerschon Yabusele, okay, great numbers last year for a really bad 76ers team.”
If the Knicks can rely on both OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to be excellent shooters off Brunson (and create for themselves!), then the Knicks’ new-look offense will be incredibly versatile. However, if they start cold, Brown might very quickly revert back to last year’s schemes.
New York doesn’t boast the defensive prowess to make that work, and another early playoff exit could be in the cards.
NBA Insider Reveals Why He Is ‘Less Optimistic’ About New York Knicks