New York Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson was greatly displeased with the way he and his teammates played on both ends of the floor in their 109-97 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday night.
Knicks Jalen Brunson after loss to Rockets: “We need to be better”
Per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, Brunson had this to say post-game about his Knicks’ inability to put together stops on defense:
“We missed shots. We didn’t get stops,” Brunson said. “We weren’t together on the defensive side. So, let one slip away.”
On the other side of the token, the Villanova product continued by bashing their offensive flow:
“We need to be better with our switching offense,” Brunson said. “That’s just plain and simple. We need to be better.”
Knicks held themselves down with inefficient shooting & nonexistent bench vs. Rockets
New York shot 39 percent from the floor in the loss. Their field goal clip was identical to their connect rate from three-point range. Though they took care of the basketball, the Knicks, who averaged the eighth-fewest assists among all teams so far (23.7 APG), continued to show themselves as one of the worst teams in the league at moving the ball with 20 assists on the affair.
Additionally, the Knicks were thoroughly outrebounded 50-39. Plus, their bench was nowhere to be found, as Tyler Kolek was the only player to get on the board with three points. This all contributed to the loss.
- Knicks could pursue young Jazz rim protector to add center depth
- Forgotten Bulls guard can save Knicks’ bench in rise from obscurity
- Knicks legend pushes All-Star center to ‘figure his s*** out’ in the offense
Knicks will look to right the ship in their next game
Brunson himself had 29 points and eight assists, but on 9-24 shooting overall. Only one of his fellow starters in OG Anunoby shot 50 percent or better from the field. The Knicks did see all five score in double figures and a natural pecking order take shape against the Rockets, but they’ll need to be more efficient and make quicker decisions when looking for their shots and finding the right man when the offense rotates in order to establish a championship-caliber rhythm.
Brunson and the Knicks will get a chance to be better on both ends when they travel to Atlanta to battle the Hawks in their next contest. Tip-off is scheduled for Wednesday night at 7:30 PM ET.
