The Knicks Can’t Seem To Stop Elite Offenses. Is That An Issue For Their Title Hopes?

The New York Knicks built their 2023-24 squad around size, defense and rebounding. They flipped that idea on its head this season, leaning into an offense-heavy construction with Karl Anthony-Towns and Mikal Bridges in the mix.

To this point, New York’s offense has been stellar, ranking second in the NBA (121.8) and fourth against top-10 defenses (116.1) in offensive rating, according to Cleaning the Glass. Its defense, however, took a substantial hit. The Knicks rank 16th in defensive rating (114.8) but that figure plummets to 25th when they face top-10 offenses (122.6), sandwiched between the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards.

The Knicks will face elite offenses in the postseason, making this trend a reasonable concern. They’re 6-7 against top-10 offenses (but still above neutral net rating because of their scorching offense). New York’s defense succeeds against low-powered offensive units, but most Eastern Conference playoff staples (the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers) feature dynamic offenses.

New York’s Half-Court Defense Is A Problem

Regardless of opponent quality, New York’s defense can’t defend in the half-court. It relies on limiting transition chances, but the Knicks rank 24th (99.4) in half-court defensive rating. In those 13 games against top-10 offenses, their half-court defense drops to 29th in the NBA (108.4). This half-court defensive struggle isn’t new, however. The Knicks ranked last in half-court defensive rating against top-10 offenses (108.4) last season, but compensated with their elite rebounding.

History doesn’t favor teams which defend as poorly against set offenses as New York does, especially in the playoffs when the pace of play slows. Since Cleaning the Glass began tracking half-court efficiency in 2004, the only team to make a conference finals with a bottom-five half-court defense against top-10 offenses was the 2006-07 Utah Jazz (26th), which lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. 

That Utah team, led by 22-year-old Deron Williams and 25-year-old Carlos Boozer, shares eerie similarities with this New York team. The Jazz relied on their third-ranked offense to win games. Its defense, led by an all-time talent in Andrei Kirilenko, ranked 15th overall, carried by its performance against weak offenses (third vs bottom-10 offenses) and let down against elite ones (21st vs top-10 offenses).

A handful of teams have made conference finals and NBA Finals appearances with half-court defenses in the bottom-10 against top-10 offenses. Most of those teams, like Cleveland in 2015 and 2018, relied on once-in-a-generation talents to carry their offensive load. New York’s offense is elite, but doesn’t have an engine of LeBron James or Nikola Jokic’s caliber.

Great Offenses Hunt The Knicks’ Weakpoints

New York’s two top offensive options, Towns and Jalen Brunson, are incredibly poor defenders and teams will target them in tandem. Offenses feast when Brunson and Towns defend pick-and-rolls or switch onto mismatches. Despite OG Anunoby’s defensive excellence, one (or even a few) great wing defenders can’t compensate for weak links like New York’s.

Against those great offenses, New York’s defensive shot profile doesn’t change much. It allows slightly more shots at the rim and slightly fewer threes, but those aren’t statistically significant chances. Elite offenses, though, shoot nearly five percent better from deep and just above four percent better on midrange shots.

Without sturdy point-of-attack defense or rim protection, the Knicks allocate tons of resources to limit drives, which opens easy passes out to threes. Against bad offenses, New York’s size and length on the wing can force tough intermediate shots. A bottom-10 offense like the Brooklyn Nets’ doesn’t feature great spacing, ball or player movement, so a contested D’Angelo Russell midrange jumper with a cramped floor is a win for New York:

knicks shrink floor vs DLO pic.twitter.com/UfSBRyKsLx

— bjpfclips (@bjpfclips) February 11, 2025

Potent offenses generate these midrange looks more intentionally, which is where problems arise. Take this play from Boston’s recent drubbing of the Knicks’ defense, where Derrick White screens for Jayson Tatum to force New York to switch Brunson onto Tatum. Bridges doesn’t want to leave White, so Brunson has to check Tatum in isolation, which leads to a comfortable jumper:

celtics switch hunt brunson with tatum pic.twitter.com/rU1JvR3dtn

— bjpfclips (@bjpfclips) February 11, 2025

As a result of Towns’s defensive limitations, The Knicks especially struggle against smaller teams and lineups. The Los Angeles Lakers bring Towns into the action by screening with his man, Rui Hachimura. Anunoby and Towns don’t want to leave James, leading to an easy pass to Hachimura and a lethargic New York defense can’t scramble to stop a wide open three:

lakers easy kick 3 pic.twitter.com/xrEE6xIHI2

— bjpfclips (@bjpfclips) February 11, 2025

This isn’t to say the Knicks are doomed in the postseason because of their defense. An offense led by Brunson and Towns with complementary pieces as great as Anunoby and Bridges could carry them to playoff series victories. Mitchell Robinson’s eventual return will boost New York’s defense massively, assuming he can stay on the floor.

The Knicks have time to address these notable defensive issues before the playoffs begin and plenty of games against elite offenses to go. But if they can’t improve on that end, they may be destined to sputter short like they’ve become so accustomed to doing over the past three decades.