What NY Knicks Must Do Between Now and Start of the NBA Playoffs
The New York Knicks continued their free fall toward the bottom of Eastern Conference standings with a 108-82 loss to the Miami Heat on February 27. It is long past time for Mike Woodson to make some drastic changes to the team’s style of play.
The Knicks are 21-37 and have lost nine of their last 11 games. Five-and-a-half games and two teams stand between them and the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth seed, with just 24 games remaining. According to ESPN.com's playoff odds, New York had just a 20.4 percent chance of making the playoffs before they were blown out by Miami.
There are plenty of reasons for New York’s disastrous season—from injuries to player performance, to personnel decisions—though Woodson deserves his share of the blame. His chief error has been an unwillingness to adapt.
The coach has tinkered with the rotation throughout the season, often out of necessity, though despite the mounting losses, he has failed to make any significant adjustments to offensive or defensive schemes, pace or late-game execution.
Woodson rightfully began the season with the same offensive system that generated the third-most efficient offense last season, set a record for three-pointers made and propelled the Knicks to 54 wins. The offense was predicated around Carmelo Anthony and a bunch of shooters who created space for the seven-time All-Star to operate on the block or from the wing and could knock down threes if he was double-teamed.
Anthony's offensive arsenal was complemented by the pick-and-roll tandem of Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler and an aggressive J.R. Smith. New York also averaged the fewest turnovers in the league, at 11.7 per game.
The team returned most of its nucleus, though it became apparent early in the season that many of the players were not performing at the same level as last season.
J.R. averaged 18.1 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting last season. This year he is managing a measly 12.9 points per contest and connecting on just 38.7 percent of his shots. Most disturbing has been his proclivity to settle for jump shots, instead of taking the ball to the basket, as evidenced by his drop in free-throw attempts from 3.9 to 2.0 per game.
Starters Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert have suffered through equally dismal campaigns. Shump has lost confidence in his shot and his shooting percentages have dipped from 39.6 from the field and 40.2 from downtown in 2012-13 to 37.7 and 34.5 this season.
Felton is no longer a starting-caliber point guard. He cannot keep opposing guards out of the paint, has struggled to break down defenses off the pick-and-roll and is connecting on 29.6 percent of his three-point attempts.
Yet, Woodson continues to run the same offense, which was so dependent on the contributions of Shumpert, Smith and Felton.
It is difficult to run any type of offense when you have so few reliable scoring options, though one adjustment the coach could have made and should consider going forward is picking up the tempo. New York ranks 29th in pace (using 92.9 possessions per game), per ESPN.com.
Pushing the ball up the court would lead to more easy baskets, and though New York is generally considered an older team, they have the personnel to run. Shumpert is a great athlete, Anthony knows how to finish on the break, Jeremy Tyler can beat most big men up the court and rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. has proved to be an excellent transition player.
The faster pace would also provide an opportunity to experiment with different lineups and see what the younger players can do. Hardaway played 31.8 minutes per game in February, though he and Shumpert have only shared the court for 208 minutes. Tyler still sees limited action, and Toure Murry is glued to the bench.
Tyler, who is averaging 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per 36 minutes, loses minutes to Amar'e Stoudemire, even though New York is 12-32 when STAT is in the lineup. And Murry is an excellent on-ball defender on a team desperate for perimeter defense. The drop-off in offensive production would not be drastic given Felton’s play this season.
Woodson should also spice up the offense with more creative play-calling. He can run pick-and-rolls from different areas on the floor and use them to get Anthony more open looks. According to Synergy, Carmelo ranks 19th in the league (1.17 points per possession) as the roll man in pick-and-rolls but has only run the play 35 times.
Woodson also needs to adjust his play-calling late in games. Or should I say, he needs to begin calling plays late in games. In the final minutes of close games, the Knicks just give the ball to Anthony and clear out. They do not use any misdirection or off-ball action. There is no ball movement to loosen up the defense or even a second option in the event that Anthony does not have a shot.
The results have been disastrous, yet Woodson refuses to try a different approach. Similarly, he is repeatedly either unaware or unwilling to take advantage of two-for-one opportunities at the end of quarters and late in games.
The coach has failed to make necessary adjustments on defense as well. The Knicks are ranked 26th in defensive efficiency (106.4), via ESPN.com and are particularly vulnerable against pick-and-rolls.
New York's technique of switching on pick-and-rolls has led to mismatches and easy baskets all season. Yet, Woodson has not experimented with another approach, such as directing the man defending the screener to hedge on the pick, or sink back into the paint. At times it appears as if the Knicks do not have any defensive system at all.
It is understandable that Woodson attempted to wait out the Knicks' struggles after the success they had last season and the rash of injuries they faced early in the year. However, with New York's season on life support, the coach must try something new.
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