The Knicks are losing their identity despite expectations
The Knicks had an identity last season with no expectations.
This season, there are expectations with no identity.
It’s certainly early enough to correct the ills of the Knicks’ defense-averse starting lineup, and a 7-5 record is hardly an alarm ringer. There were seasons, not too long ago, when Steve Mills would throw himself a parade for a winning record. But again, there are real expectations for the first time in a long time. That’s a good thing.
It’s also understandable why Tom Thibodeau would be agitated by the trends of this early season. The Knicks entered the summer with over $50 million in cap space — more than any other team — and the additions were billed as boosting the starters to the next level.
But that new lineup has been awful, with analytics supporting the eye test. The starters have been outscored by an embarrassing 14.4 points per 100 possessions while carrying a 119.3 defensive rating, the NBA’s worst by far if projected across the entire team. As it stands, New York’s defense has devolved from the third-best rating last season to the fifth-worst to start this campaign.
The Knicks’ identity of outhustling, out-preparing and out-desiring has shifted to a strategy of trying to outscore the opposition. Too much Bing Bong, not enough defense.
When Thibodeau called “bulls—t” Wednesday on requiring more time to unite the starting lineup, it followed a string of discouraging performances from the starting unit. This was brewing.
“You know what they say. When it’s 10 games [to jell], they say you need 20, when you say 20, they say you need 30, at 30 you say 40,” Thibodeau said after Wednesday’s loss to the Bucks. “And before you know it, the season is over.
“So that’s a bunch of bulls—t.”
A day later, Thibodeau was predictably less explicit and said he wasn’t changing the lineup. Kemba Walker shouldered some blame but also preached patience, which seemed to be running thin about 14 hours earlier.
“It’s just new for us, for some of the guys still. What are we 12 games in,” Walker asked reporters. “We’re still trying to find our way. It just takes time. It’ll come.”
Of course the biggest concern is Walker, who was signed in the summer with a warning label about his knee. Despite shooting threes efficiently, he’s on pace to record career-worsts in minutes (25.7), points (11.3), assists (3.1) and rebounds (2.7). His defensive and net ratings are last on the Knicks heading into Friday’s showdown in Charlotte. New York has been outscored by 66 points in Walker’s 283 minutes, which runs counter to the lineups featuring his backup, Derrick Rose, whose plus-minus sits at +95. That’s an outrageous 161-point difference between Walker and Rose.
“I would like to put the onus on myself,” Walker said after Thursday’s practice. “I don’t think I’m energetic enough. That’s who I am, but that’s who I haven’t been.”
Here’s the deal with Walker, according to a source: despite the preseason declarations of zero restrictions, he will need games off. Thibodeau prefers to rest his players in practice, which is his version of load management. But Walker is the type of player who needs to practice to play well in games.
Thus far, it hasn’t clicked with Walker. Or the starting lineup. Fans were ultra critical of last season’s starter — Elfrid Payton — but the fact remains he is a bigger and better defender than Walker. In the meantime, the Knicks are getting by on the backs of the bench and nightly takeover potential from either Julius Randle or RJ Barrett.
That doesn’t seem sustainable or an upgrade from last season. Success comes with expectations. The Knicks are losing their identity from last season so they either have to rediscover it or find a new one.
