Mike Brown’s new-look Knicks offense seems good when his group sticks to the script — save for one obtrusive space the group must shore if it intends to get again on observe to competing for a championship.
Karl-Anthony Cities has been woefully underutilized by the opening third of Brown’s first season at Madison Sq. Backyard.
Brown’s system prioritizes tempo, house and ball motion, however the rock doesn’t fairly discover the group’s second-best participant at a price worthy of one of many league’s most gifted scoring huge males.
And that’s an issue, as a result of the protection hasn’t been as much as par, and if the Knicks are going to win gunfights, they’d higher tune-up their heavy weaponry.
Cities is simply that: a five-time NBA All-Star and three-time Third Workforce All-NBA member who helped the Minnesota Timberwolves attain the Western Convention Finals. But at instances, he’s turn out to be an afterthought in a Knicks offense that’s turn out to be unrecognizable because the NBA Cup Remaining victory.
Cities, for instance, took simply two pictures by the opening two intervals and completed 6-of-16 from the sphere within the Knicks’ loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. He took 10 pictures (and shot 50% from the sphere) in New York’s Dec. 31 loss to the San Antonio Spurs and simply 9 pictures within the victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 29.
“I got more shots,” Cities stated when requested what modified for him within the second half on Saturday. “So just trying to make shots.”
Cities didn’t develop on what sparked his second-half run.
“I’ll watch the tape. I know in the third, I got more aggressive on the offensive end and made the most of those opportunities,” he stated. “I just shot more shots. That’s the only way you can make more points.”
The Knicks acquired Cities in a blockbuster deal that despatched Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round decide to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the star huge man to play a focal function within the offense. But Cities’ scoring has regressed: Since final season, he’s gone from 24.4 factors per sport to 22 flat, 52.6% capturing from the sphere to 47.3% (a career-worst) and 42% from three-point vary to 35.4% (second-worst).
Cities is averaging beneath 15 subject purpose makes an attempt per sport for the primary time since 2023 and simply the second time since 2018. He’s taking two fewer pictures per sport than he did final season beneath former head coach Tom Thibodeau and owns a 1.6-second common time of ball possession by the Knicks’ final 5 video games.
Cities wants to assist himself by making open pictures. Certainly one of NBA historical past’s most prolific three-point capturing facilities is capturing simply 33.3% on wide-open threes, outlined as pictures with a defender six or extra toes away, and shot 0-of-5 from downtown towards the Sixers on Saturday.
There seems to be an upswing: After a depressing begin, Cities broke out for 44% three-point capturing within the month of December.
The Knicks are additionally inching nearer to Josh Hart’s return from a extreme ankle sprain sustained on Christmas Day towards the Cavaliers. Hart has assisted on 27 of Cities’ 219 made subject objectives this season.
