The New York Knicks have fully turned things around after going through a concerning trend back in January. They entered the All-Star break having won 10 of their last 12 games, and they own the best defensive rating in the NBA over that span.
Knicks look dominant on the defensive side
They look like a completely different team than the one at the start of the season, especially on the defensive side. Defense had always been a weakness for them even when they started the season strong, but now they seem to have found a fix.
Josh Hart detailed what that fix was on he and teammate Jalen Brunson’s podcast The Roommates Show, giving a lot of credit towards one key component.
“Communication. The one thing that Deuce [McBride] said, it was like: we gotta make sure we trust each other. Like, we continue to build that trust. Especially defensively … it’s just a line of communication and trust, and I feel like we’ve been doing a really good job with that,” Hart said [h/t Daily Knicks’ Kris Pursiainen].
Knicks need to continue playing cohesive
The Knicks look like a more cohesive group on the court. Their defense has tightened up significantly, having held their opponents to under 90 points in four of the last 12 games and really imposing their will on that end of the floor.
Additionally, their offense remains a strong unit, as they are still getting big time contributions from guys like Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Josh Hart. With the way they are currently playing, they look as though they can take down anybody in the Eastern Conference, but they still have a lot to prove as they look ahead to the final stretch run before the playoffs.
They got a big test right away out of the break, as they will be taking on the Detroit Pistons, who currently own the best record in the NBA. New York will want to win that game to show that everything they have improved on will help them beat the best of the best.
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