Pressure Makes Diamonds: Knicks Pulse Check Part V

The morning of the Dallas Mavericks game, I got a haircut. Since moving from Astoria to Long Island, the struggle has been real to find a good barber. That morning, the barber I visited happened to be a Knicks fan. An hour later, as I left the shop, he said to me, “Hey man, give the Knicks some luck tonight.”

That didn’t happen…

Despite the fresh cut and great conversation, the Knicks went on to get smacked at home by the Mavs on MLK Day, in what could only be described as the worst performance of the season. In his postgame interview, Mike Brown was asked about how he was going to motivate his players, given their recent run of poor results.

Brown sternly replied, “I have some ideas.”

Shortly afterwards, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that captain Jalen Brunson held a “player’s only” meeting to right the ship. This was later refuted by Josh Hart, but at the very least, we know that a conversation occurred.

After that loss, the Knicks went on to win seven straight, playing some of the most inspired basketball fans had seen all season. Credit Mike Brown, as some of his “ideas” appeared to be shortening the rotation to nine players, which resulted in benching Jordan Clarkson. Reporters around the team also credited Brown’s second half adjustments during games.

The players themselves have also suggested that the discussion, post-Mavericks loss, led to less finger-pointing and more individual accountability. Whatever has happened, the Knicks are back where they want to be: second place in the Eastern Conference, after winning their seventh game in a row, and overall, seven victories of their last 10 games.

50 games into the season, the analytics paint the following picture: the Knicks rank third in offensive rating,(up one spot from our last check-in) 12th in defensive rating (up five spots), and fourth in net rating (up four spots). In fact, over the last 10 games, the Knicks own the league’s top defensive rating (103.6).

As January came to a close, several quotes from post-game press conferences really highlighted just how far the Knicks had come during these last 10-plus games. After a road loss to the Sacramento Kings, Mike Brown called out KAT’s lack of “urgency” on one particular play where he failed to get back on defense after falling to the floor off a drive to the basket. Brown called the play the “epitome” of the Knicks, struggles that night.

No matter how you slice it, no player has received the type of public criticism from Mike Brown that KAT has. Brown was hired, in-part, because of his communication and man-management skills. And while I questioned his methods at the time, KAT really turned his season around, playing solid defense (leading with his chest) while posting multiple 20-plus rebound performances.

And it didn’t stop with KAT. After a road win in Toronto, Mikal Bridges was very candid about his recent struggles, calling himself both, “too entitled” and “uncoachable.” Ultimately, after reflecting on his recent play, Bridges stated he needed to be a better teammate and play the right way. Bridges’ refreshingly honest quotes were praised by Josh Hart and Mike Brown.

Mikal’s admission also validated what many fans had thought about this team, especially after the 2-9 skid: they got too comfortable. Players were looking to solve the team’s problems individually instead of trusting the pass, moving without the ball, and communicating on defense. To be honest, I think Mikal’s quotes could’ve been applied to most of the starting five, but the important thing is they figured it out.

I was surprised when Mike Brown made the decision to bench Jordan Clarkson, and to cut the rotation to nine players. To be fair, he hasn’t racked up consecutive DNP’s, but it’s clear that his role has changed. I felt Clarkson was a major part of the Knicks early success as a team, and you could make a strong argument that we don’t win the NBA Cup without him.

That being said, of all the players on the Knicks roster that have logged at least 800 or more minutes this season, Clarkson owned the lowest plus/minus (+21), which is significant given that Landry Shamet, who has played 375 fewer minutes than Clarkson, posted a plus/ minus of +69. Part of me also thinks something went on behind the scenes. During the 2-9 stretch, Brown frequently talked about the team not adhering to defensive and team principles, and it’s possible that Clarkson was one of the main culprits.

Sticking with the defense, SNY’s Ian Begley recently reported that Mike Brown has changed some of the Knicks’ defensive coverages, opting to force the ball to the sidelines instead of funneling everything to the paint. In theory, this makes sense, especially when KAT, who isn’t a great rim protector, plays the majority of minutes at the center position.

Additionally, Brown has also credited his squad for picking up their intensity on 50/50 balls. During halftime of the Lakers game, Brown explained that the Knicks were 1/5 on 50/50 balls and praised his veteran group for making the adjustments in the second half, leading to a perfect 7/7 mark and an eventual win over the purple and gold.

Last week, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was ready for a “new home” and that the Bucks were ready to listen to trade offers for the nine-time All-Star.

Of course, the Knicks initially registered interest in Giannis last summer and have continued to stay in contact with the Bucks regarding trade talks. There has been so much said and written regarding what deal would look like and what the Knicks would have to give up to land a player of Giannis’ caliber. I just want to be on record that I’m not including OG Anunoby in ANY of those trade talks. You want KAT, Mikal, some of the young players, and a third team to make it all work…fine. But OG should be off limits.

According to Statmuse, Anunoby is a +861 since becoming a Knick. He is clearly the team’s best perimeter defender, and since Casey Smith has come over from the Dallas Mavericks franchise and taken over the reigns with the medical staff, Anunoby has been a picture of perfect health (fingers crossed). To me, you can’t lose a player with his unique talent, especially, when you have to guard players like Cade Cunningham, Jaylen Brown, and Donovan Mitchell in order to get through the East.

The next 10 games feature some steep challenges in the NBA schedule. The Knicks face the Denver Nuggets, the Detroit Pistons (twice), on both sides of the All-Star Break, the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers. Even during the seven-game win streak, the schedule was fairly favorable for the Knicks, as they will look to establish good positioning in the standings prior to the playoffs.

And while we still don’t know what this roster will look like post trade deadline, Leon Rose has routinely demonstrated a keen eye, not just for adding talent to the roster, but also players with the character and work ethic to match the team’s desire to take that next step.

Thursday’s deadline promises to be an interesting one.