Knicks Pulse Check Part VII: Trials and Tribulations

They say nothing in life worth having comes easy, and if the Knicks somehow make a deep playoff run, they will certainly have earned it, losing their captain/best player for eight games and counting.

There seems to be no bigger storyline this season than the health of Jalen Brunson’s ankle and how the New York Knicks will respond in his absence. Luckily, SNY’s Ian Begley recently provided an update that Brunson has started doing “controlled court work” and will be re-evaluated in one week.

But amidst the dark cloud of uncertainty hanging over the 2024-2025 Knicks, the silver lining has been that their defense has improved, Karl-Anthony Towns seems to have found offensive mojo again, and Mitchell Robinson is back.

Circling the wagons around NBA.com’s advanced stats, the Knicks currently rank fifth in offensive rating (down one spot from our previous check-in), 14th in defensive rating (up five spots), and seventh in net rating (down one spot).

As it stands, the Knicks are 44-26, holding strong in third place in the Eastern Conference, three games above the Indiana Pacers and seven-and-a half games below the Boston Celtics.

Defense has been the Knicks’ achilles heel for much of this season. Tom Thibodeau has been on record stating that he wants his team to be a top-10 defense, but they have not developed the consistent habits in order to accomplish this goal.

However, with the return of Mitchell Robinson and Deuce McBride playing some stout perimeter defense, the Knicks have posted a top-five defensive rating over the last 10 games. Over the same timespan, the orange and blue are sixth in defensive field goal percentage and seventh in three-pointers allowed per game.

According to the NBA’s on/off court statistics, of all players that have logged at least 1400 minutes this season, the Knicks largest difference in defensive rating is +3.9, which is owned by Deuce McBride.

Having both Robinson and McBride in the lineup is super important, because defenders like Deuce are more comfortable with being aggressive on the wings when Mitch is the last line of defense as a rim protector. When KAT is back there, you just can’t take those same risks.

This season, maybe more than ever, Mitchell Robinson’s role and his importance to his team have been questioned. Fans, myself included, have wondered whether Mitch’s limited offensive game, poor free-throw shooting, and injury history would ultimately lead the Knicks front office to trade the longest tenured Knick.

But credit to Robinson, prior to his return the Knicks were ranked 21st in the league in opponent’s field goal percentage, but in the 12 games since Mitch’s return, the Knicks rank 7th in the same category. Similarly, in the 58 games played without Mitch, the Knicks ranked 24th and 29th in the league, respectively, in rebounds per game and blocks per game. With Mitch, the Knicks rank 17th in rebounds per game and 20th in blocks per game.

Additionally, although the sample size is small, Mitch is also proving that he can be productive in minutes where he shares the floor with KAT. In 33 minutes, the two-man lineup of KAT and Robinson has posted a net rating of 25.1. Although its too early to tell, it’s possible that inserting Mitch into the starting lineup and relegating Josh Hart to bench might be the move that finally sparks the balance this team has needed since the beginning of the season.

I could’ve easily chosen to focus on Mikal Bridges for this segment of KPC. He’s been great in Jalen Brunson’s absence. but to me - KAT’s performances are much more closely tied to the team’s success or failure. In general, I feel like the Knicks can still win games where Mikal doesn’t play well, I don’t feel that way about KAT.

Over the last 10 games Towns is averaging 24.6 points per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field, 42.6 percent from the three-point line, and 82.0 percent from the free-throw line. Even during those putrid back-to-back losses versus the San Antonio Spurs and the Charlotte Hornets, you could argue that KAT was the Knicks’ best player, pouring in 32 points in the first game and posting a double-double in the second.

With 12 games left in the season, fans will be wondering if Thibs will make any late-season changes to the rotation in preparation for the playoffs. Furthermore, even if Jalen Brunson is healthy before the postseason, will the Knicks be cautious and just rest him? Or will JB come back to try and get some rhythm before the Knicks first-round matchup?

Finally, the upcoming final stretch of the NBA season features two-games against potential first-round matchups: the Milwaukee Bucks and the Detroit Pistons. Although the five-game difference the standings between the Knicks and Pistons may seem like a lot, the orange and blue are currently 4-4 since Brunson’s injury and cannot afford to lose any ground with two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and a matchup against the Boston Celtics still in come.

The final countdown is here. Buckle up!