The New York Knicks have been playing substantially better under the helm of interim coach Mike Miller. As exciting as it may be, fans need to remind themselves that there’s still a lot of work to be done.
The Knicks are only 3-3 in the first 6 games under Miller but the team has been playing way better than a .500 record. However, the Knicks are 3-1 in their last 4 games. They went from last-to-first in the offensive efficiency over that stretch and has fans buzzing.
And it’s all because of Miller. The player are responding and giving credit to Miller.
Taj Gibson, Marcus Morris and Dennis Smith Jr. have all complimented Miller’s ability to let the guys play while also holding them accountable. Smith Jr. might have said it the best, “He just wants us to hoop.” That is something that may have been lacking in the David Fizdale era. It seemed more pick-up ball and Fizdale wasn’t holding players accountable, only benching them.
“He definitely wants us to have game-plan discipline as well but he wants us to have fun and leave it all out on the floor. I love it”, Smith continued. Smith had his best game of the season last game against the Hawks. He recorded 8 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds with the most hop in his game all season.
Miller is doing things to the Knicks that fans would have thought Fizdale should’ve corrected. Julius Randle isn’t bringing the ball up and not falling back into more isolation basketball. Miller is finally starting to use Randle the proper way.
The New York Knicks are onto something with Miller. While all of this is still a small sample size for the team, fans still need to be patient. Miller is not the savior but the team could be on the right path under Miller.