The New York Knicks have hit a slump, losing five of their last seven games as they continue to struggle to find some consistency. At the halfway mark of the season, they find themselves 26-15, which is very good but perhaps slightly below expectations.
Josh Hart sounds off on Knicks’ struggles
On Monday, New York fell short of defeating the Detroit Pistons despite shooting above 50% from the floor and above 40% from three. Their lack of perimeter defense led to their demise, and it seems as though the Knicks can’t find their rhythm on both ends of the floor simultaneously.
Josh Hart took exception to Monday’s loss and feels that his team is falling short of finishing winnable games.
“We’re losing games I feel like we shouldn’t be losing,” Hart said, per ESPN’s Chris Herring. “We’ve got to start figuring it out. We’re halfway through. There’s nothing we can do about the first half now. But if we want to be the team we’re trying to be at the end of the season, we need to start correcting stuff now.”
Hart has done what he can to keep the Knicks in a good place. He is having a career season with New York, averaging 14.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 57% shooting from the floor and 38% from three. The Knicks have gotten All-Star campaigns from Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, as well.
The Knicks have had inconsistencies this season
However, as a team, there are nights when they look out of sync. At times, they have very little energy on either end of the floor, which opposing teams take advantage of and play with a faster pace to run the Knicks off the court.
The result has been some disappointing outcomes. They were mercifully blown out on their home floor to the Oklahoma City Thunder back on Friday, and are 0-5 against the top two teams in either conference. They have also suffered losses to the Jazz and the Pistons twice this season.
Luckily for them, they still have another 41 games to go. The first half of the season showed a lot of good, but their flaws are becoming clear. The lack of depth in the second unit as well as the inconsistent play on both ends is what is contributing to their recent slide.
The Knicks will have a chance to turn things around on Wednesday when they head on the road in a playoff rematch with the Philadelphia 76ers.