There have been a handful of defensive possessions within the Knicks’ 116-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday the place the shell remained intact, the protection was sound, and Wolves shooters made the shot anyway.
There have been different moments, albeit fleeting, the place the protection was as much as par on celebrity scorer Anthony Edwards, who turned a blind eye to the heavy contest and made the shot anyway.
However the overwhelming majority of the remaining defensive possessions had been troubling for a crew supposedly tailored to cease these very issues of their tracks. The Knicks went all-in on buying Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby to be the spine of a protection able to neutralizing elite perimeter scorers.
But Edwards uncovered their shortcomings on Friday. So did Julius Randle, who beat the Knicks with the move.
Edwards missed six of his first seven photographs — all his personal doing — however went on to make 11 of his remaining 14 makes an attempt. He completed with 36 factors, dismantling a Knicks protection that struggles to protect the purpose of assault and doesn’t rotate effectively to contest open shooters.
Randle scored simply eight factors, however 5 of his six assists had been to open three-point shooters. He generated 17 factors by commanding a double crew, studying the porous Knicks’ protection and hitting the open man. The Timberwolves shot 22-of-40 from downtown on Friday.
This wasn’t merely a case of Minnesota getting sizzling from past the arc. It was yet one more instance of an opponent systematically dismantling one of many league’s worst three-point defenses.
Opponents know the Knicks’ stress factors — and on Friday, the Timberwolves pressed all of them. On the coronary heart of New York’s defensive struggles lies a basic breakdown in what Tom Thibodeau typically emphasizes: shifting on the flight of the ball.
“It’s two-fold. It’s containment and the dribble penetration. And there’s so many different aspects of you’re in defensive transition, individual defense, and then it’s your shell. Your shell really applies to everything,” Thibodeau mentioned after the loss. “So that’s why I’m saying when you’re guarding the ball, there needs to be communication: You can’t get beat with a penetrating drive on the first drive. Maybe our physicality could have been better there. So that’s a big part of it. And then are we caught in-between [a rotation]? You want to be in already, so when the ball is being picked up, you’re starting your recovery. A step makes a big difference.”
PRESSURE POINT 1: BRUNSON DOES NOT GUARD HIS POSITION
Hardly ever, if ever, do the Knicks activity Jalen Brunson with defending the purpose of assault — regardless of it being his pure place.
At 6-1 with below-average foot pace, Brunson is ill-suited to match up in opposition to himself.
To mitigate this, the Knicks conceal him on the opposing crew’s least threatening non-center scorer. In opposition to the Timberwolves on Friday, Brunson opened the sport defending 37-year-old Mike Conley. However when Conley torched him for the primary seven of his 10 first-quarter factors, the Knicks shifted Brunson onto certainly one of Minnesota’s non-scorers, resembling Jaden McDaniels or reserve wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The issue is, sensible opponents exploit this technique. They create cross-matches off the ball or set screens to pressure Brunson to modify onto the ball. It’s precisely what the Timberwolves did late within the fourth quarter to assist maintain the Knicks at bay.
But it’s one factor for Brunson to battle as an on-ball defender. The problem turns into magnified when he falls asleep off the ball, leaving his crew susceptible to pointless breakdowns.
The lapses started instantly on Friday when, on the very first play of the sport, Brunson was caught ball-watching as Edwards missed a mid-range shot and Randle secured the offensive rebound. In the meantime, Conley started getting again on protection however stopped above the break, and obtained a move for an uncontested three-pointer as Brunson lagged behind.
“There’s always room for improvement in every single aspect of our game and we’re not going to just single [defensive rotations] out,” Brunson mentioned. “It may have looked like that tonight but as a team we just need to be locked in, and for me, I have to be locked in as well. It starts with me.”
These moments aren’t remoted. They occur typically, exposing weaknesses within the Knicks’ defensive shell.
With below 9:30 left within the fourth quarter and the Knicks down six, Randle compelled the New York protection to break down within the paint, pulling 4 Knicks into his neighborhood. Brunson made it 5, inexplicably turning his head away from his man to observe Randle, who noticed the overcommitment and kicked the ball out to Alexander-Walker for an open three, with Brunson arriving late on the competition.
It’s the kind of play that doesn’t at all times get observed as a result of Brunson’s defensive assignments typically miss just a few open seems every night time. However on a crew fighting defensive rotations, these lapses compound the issue.
PRESSURE POINT 2: BRIDGES GUARDING THE POINT OF ATTACK
Give Bridges credit score the place it’s due. Regardless of Anunoby’s repute because the Knicks’ premier defender, the duty of guarding the opposing crew’s finest scorer typically falls on Bridges’ shoulders.
Whether or not or not Bridges is the proper match for this position has been an ongoing debate at Madison Sq. Backyard this season. At 6-6 with a 7-1 wingspan, he actually profiles as a defensive stopper. But his foot pace — or response pace — has been a obtrusive challenge. His general power and physicality when combating over screens or defending the ball-handler have additionally left one thing to be desired.
The outcome?
Opposing point-of-attack scorers incessantly achieve a step on Bridges, leaving him trailing behind after being shifted out of place by a well-placed display screen. And generally, the display screen isn’t wanted in any respect.
Generally, an opponent can go between the legs, hesitate, then uncork a crossover to shift Bridges out of his defensive stance and get a straight line drive to the rim.
It’s the transfer Edwards used to get an uncontested layup halfway by way of the third quarter on Friday. But this challenge extends nicely past particular person matchups. It’s the broader affect of Bridges’ struggles that actually exposes the Knicks’ vulnerabilities.
When Bridges is overwhelmed on the level of assault, the Knicks’ defensive shell collapses, forcing rotations that always come late — or by no means. The ripple impact compromises the complete system, creating open seems for shooters or straightforward lanes to the basket.
The Knicks’ protection typically begins with Bridges however ends with a teammate speeding late to close-out on the open shooter.
“[Edwards] was very, very aggressive throughout, and the one thing is his volume of 3s has gone way up this year, so I knew he would keep shooting, and he made a number of good plays as well,” mentioned Thibodeau. “But he’s a tough cover, and you need all 5 working together and you’ve gotta try to make him work, and that’s probably the biggest thing is to make him work. He’s gonna get some, but you’ve gotta make him work for those points, and that requires everyone working together.”
PRESSURE POINT 3: INCONSISTENT DEFENSIVE PLAY AT THE FIVE
This could be probably the most important piece of the Knicks’ defensive struggles. The middle is the spine of any defensive scheme, accountable for anchoring the paint, speaking rotations and directing site visitors. But, this season, the Knicks have been with out a confirmed defensive anchor, leaving their system susceptible.
Karl-Anthony Cities, whereas a gifted scorer, will not be a pure rim protector. His time alongside Rudy Gobert, a four-time Defensive Participant of the 12 months, hasn’t translated into an elite defensive presence. Treasured Achiuwa provides versatility, physicality and rebounding, however his 6-8 body is best suited to the 4, a place the place Thibodeau has praised his effectiveness up to now. Jericho Sims is an athletic choice however lacks the defensive IQ wanted to anchor a system, and it’s no secret the Knicks have been exploring commerce choices for him forward of the Feb. 6 commerce deadline.
Mitchell Robinson, alternatively, has the potential to vary all the things. As one of many league’s premier rim protectors and offensive rebounders, Robinson might be the lacking piece for a protection that has devolved right into a legal responsibility this season. Nonetheless, he has but to make his debut after present process a second surgical procedure to restore a stress fracture in his left ankle, and his potential to remain wholesome stays a query mark.
With out Robinson, what was as soon as a stout Knicks protection has been masked by their all-time potential offense. But even with Robinson up to now, the Knicks have struggled in opposition to stretch fives, a weak spot that opponents just like the Timberwolves have discovered to take advantage of.
On Friday, Minnesota weaponized Naz Reid on this position, typically positioning him alongside Randle, who instructions frequent double groups. The outcome was a defensive collapse. Reid hit his first three 3-pointers, but Achiuwa nonetheless cheated off him to assist Bridges — regardless of Anunoby already rotating off of Edwards to assist include Randle. The poor decision-making left Reid large open for his fourth consecutive three-pointer. By the night time’s finish, he was an ideal six-of-six from past the arc.
The ripple impact of inconsistent play on the 5 is obvious: the Knicks’ protection struggles to rotate successfully, opponents exploit their lack of measurement and self-discipline, and the absence of a real anchor leaves gaps that no quantity of scoring can persistently cowl. Till Robinson returns — or the entrance workplace addresses the problem by way of commerce — the Knicks’ defensive woes on the 5 will stay a obtrusive stress level.
And opponents will proceed to press all three because the Knicks proceed their spiral to begin the New 12 months.
