Selling the New York Knicks as dark horse title contenders
For all the trends that the New York Knicks have going for them during the second half of the year, there is still one statistic that has me concerned about this team heading into the postseason. And it’s the fact that they’re still a pretty pedestrian team on the defensive end of the floor.
On the season as a whole, the Knicks are ranked 14th in defensive rating. During this recent 21-9 run, the Knicks are somehow worse. They’re 16th in defensive rating, allowing 114.6 points per 100 possessions. And I know defensive metrics are somehow flawed to a certain extent with how much the offensive game in the NBA has evolved over the last few seasons, but the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Memphis Grizzlies are all top 5 in defensive rating this season. Those three teams represent three of the top 4 records in the league this season.
In other words, while defensive metrics may need some retooling, it still matters. At least until a team comes around to completely buck that trend. And that simply hasn’t happened yet thus far. So it’s natural and understandable to be concerned about the team’s defense. Especially considering the playoffs are roughly just a month away.
I think we’ll get a good indication right away once the playoffs start whether their defense will be good enough for this team to make a deep run. Right now, I wouldn’t be too confident in that. Despite the teams winning 21 of their last 30 games.