Knicks Pulse Check Part II: Picking Up Steam

One of the best parts about being a Knicks fan, especially during the Leon Rose/Tom Thibodeau era, is owning the haters after the Knicks bounce back from a slump.

As we last left KPC Part I, there were questions about the bench and Thibs playing the starters too many minutes, along with a simmering concern for Jalen Brunson not looking exactly like…Jalen Brunson. Karl-Anthony Towns also had to beat the defensive sieve accusations. Mikal Bridges’ shot was coming around, but his defense and overall impact were in question.

Overall, the team was 5-5 after the first 10 games, and the anti-Knicks mob was out in full force with their pitchforks.

However, as we stroll past the 20 game mark of the season, although Bridges is still struggling, and this Knicks squad is far from it’s final form, the picture is becoming clearer, and the individual parts are slowly coming together.

A look at both, our traditional and advanced statistics indicate that the Knicks are ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference, with a 12-8 record, just in front of the Milwaukee Bucks, and just behind the Orlando Magic. The orange and blue are currently first in the league in offensive rating (up three spots from our last check-in), 22nd in defensive rating (down four spots), and sixth in net rating (up two spots).

It’s hard to put into words just how good OG Anunoby has been to start the season. He’s been a masterclass of efficiency on the offensive side of the ball, and a pillar of disruptive consistency on the defensive side of the ball.

Amidst an All-Star campaign, OG’s performances have been so impressive that he’s drawn comparisons to Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen. Now of course modern-day NBA comparisons to legends of the game are generally an exercise in futility. Pippen’s impact on the boards and as a play-maker were far superior to Anunoby. Furthermore, per Basketball Reference, from the 1993-1994 through the 1995-1996 campaigns, Pippen ranked within the top-10 in box-plus-minus, include two top-three finishes in 93’ and 94’.

However, OG’s efficiency as a scorer, is where he has an edge over the Hall of Famer. Pippen was a career 32.6 percent shooter from behind the arc, and was never consistent from the stripe, shooting 70.4 percent from the free-throw line for his career. Anunoby is currently shooting 37.6 percent from the three-point line and 47.5 percent from the field in his career.

Per NBAstats, OG is fourth in the league in net rating for players logging at least 35 minutes a night in at least 20 games played this season. The only question left to answer is health — Knicks fans will keep their fingers crossed and pray that OG makes it through the majority of this season and is healthy for a deep postseason run.

Excluding the game where the Knicks blew out the New Orleans Pelicans, there was a decent sample of basketball highlighting the fact that Mikal Bridges looked like the odd man out in a Knicks offense that, otherwise, looked very much in sync. Although Bridges is averaging 16.3 points per game, the former Villanova man is shooting 33.1 percent from the three-point line (trust me, prior to the game against the Pelicans, this number looked a lot worse). Maybe Bridges’ ineptitude from downtown wouldn’t be as bad if he wasn’t playing a team-high 38.0 minutes per game, while only getting to the free-throw line 0.7 times per night.

The common thread between the three worst five-man lineups for the Knicks, in terms of plus-minus, is that they feature Bridges and Josh Hart. And although his shot has received the most consistent criticism, it’s Bridges fall-off on defense that has been the most concerning. Far too often, Bridges is getting lost on screens or just flat-out getting beat by his man. According to ESPN’s Chris Herring:

The problem with Mikal’s shot is his positioning in the air. Off the jump, his positioning appears off-balanced, and he doesn’t have a ton of arc. So essentially, if his arm angle or hand placement on the ball are even slightly off, he’s gonna miss. There is no room for error.

But…there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

After a closely-fought victory against the Charlotte Hornets, a game in which Bridges went 3-for-10 from the field with just eight points, teammate Josh Hart made it a point to say that the team had not lost it’s faith in Bridges. In return, the six-foot-six forward busted out of his slump in impressive fashion, sinking seven of 12 three-point shots on his way to a season-high 31 points.

Through the first 10 games of the season, the Knicks’ two stars, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns struggled to find cohesion, with Brunson being the player that struggled the most to find his individual game. It seemed as though Brunson was purposely trying to incorporate KAT and wasn’t being aggressive enough in finding his own shot.

But things have changed.

According to NBAstats.com Jalen Brunson is second in the league in points per possession (1.08) for ball-handlers in the pick-and-roll (with at least nine possessions per game). Similarly, Towns also ranks second in the league in points per possession (1.30) for the roll man in the pick-and-roll (with at least four per game).

Furthermore, at the 15-game mark, Synergy posted the following graphic ranking the best pick-and-roll pairs in the game. No surprise to Knicks fans, Brunson and KAT were at the top.

The next 10 games feature a do-or-die NBA Cup tie with the surging Orlando Magic as well a mouth-watering away matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves - where the orange and blue will play against Julius Randle for the first time since the trade.