New York Knicks
Even though the New York Knicks kept it close with the Boston Celtics until the closing moments of the game, there were definitely some takeaways in terms of things that need to be addressed. To start the game, the Knicks just looked discombobulated. By the 8:30 mark in the first quarter, they had already picked up four turnovers. They also played too much iso ball to start the game, limiting their chances of getting high-percentage scoring opportunities.
RJ Barrett has been a positive force for the Knicks early in the season. But just in case we forgot that the’s still a rookie and has weaknesses in his game, he’s only shooting 49 percent from the free-throw line so far this season. That’s too low by any standards but for a player that is obviously going to be spending a lot of time in the paint, that’s a stat that needs to be addressed ASAP.
When it really comes down to it though, this game could have easily gone either way. The Knicks won the rebounding battle by 10 but stats for assists, steals and blocks were all within two of the Celtics. The remaining matchups between these two teams will probably be battles as close as this one was.