This season has been a bonding year for the New York Knicks. With a new roster devised, the team is still building chemistry, evidenced best by some tough losses to teams that the Knicks are more talented than.
Josh Hart’s recent “egos” comment could cause some locker room drama
Josh Hart, known to be particularly animated in the media, recently made some comments about players having “egos” as part of why they are struggling to co-exist. Many brushed it off as him joking, but SNY’s Ian Begley suggested that some within the organization feel that it wasn’t a lighthearted joke.
“I talked to a few people in the aftermath of it. Some people internally don’t think he was just throwing out cliches,” Begley said on SNY’s “The Putback” podcast. “I can’t guess at who Josh was addressing specifically. I feel very comfortable saying it was not Jalen Brunson. It should raise some eyebrows. The group doesn’t feel like a singular unit yet. There are still things to clean up from the team cohesion standpoint,” Begley said.
The last thing the Knicks need is locker room drama. Though it may not feel like it, New York is actually on a better pace than they were at this time last year. They are 26-15 through the first half of the season compared to being 24-17 through the first half of last season.
The Knicks are still finding consistency
Some nights, they look unstoppable on both ends and torch teams with lights-out shooting and great defense. However, other nights, they look a step slow defensively, and at times it comes on a poor shooting night.
It is unclear who Hart’s comments were directed towards, but perhaps it can serve as a wake-up call for the team to play with more unity as opposed to being the best individual player. Last year’s team seemed to be as united as ever, as every player was playing at their highest possible level despite dealing with a significant amount of adversity.
There is little reason to doubt this team can do the same, but it may take some time for the players to gel both on and off the court. For many teams, it takes a full season to completely develop chemistry, and the Knicks are going through the growing pains that come with a season of bonding.
The Knicks begin the second half of the season Wednesday night when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers on the road. New York tends to be a late bloomer in seasons, so perhaps the best is still yet to come for them.