Draymond Green Says Knicks Aren't NBA Title Contenders, Don't 'Have What It Takes'
Even though the New York Knicks were widely regarded as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference coming into the season, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green isn't ready to put them in that tier of contender.
On the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show (starts at 19:40 mark), Green said he doesn't view the Knicks as a Finals contender because they don't "have what it takes to win at the highest level" when he watches them play.
Green did elaborate on his stance about the Knicks, saying he believes you "can stifle their offense" to make it hard for them to score and they have a couple of "key guys that don't really wanna defend" who are on the floor a lot in games.
With the East looking wide open, especially with Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton likely to miss at least most of the season, the Knicks had the third-best odds to win the NBA title behind the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers.
There are certainly defensive liabilities on the Knicks roster. Among the 79 active players with at least 25 games of playoff experience, Jalen Brunson has the worst defensive rating at 118.08. Josh Hart (113.7) and Mikal Bridges (113.9) are 62nd and 63rd, respectively.
One of the reasons the Knicks made a change at head coach from Tom Thibodeau to Mike Brown over the summer was to increase the speed they play with on offense.
The early returns have been frustrating, with Karl-Anthony Towns in particular struggling to adapt so far. It has been only four games, so there's no reason for panic this very talented group won't figure things out.
However, Green's assessment about the weak points for the Knicks has shown up in their recent playoff losses and so far this season. Their had a 117.8 defensive rating in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers was more than three points higher than their rating in the regular season (114.3).
One big problem for the Knicks is they are once again playing without Mitchell Robinson. The oft-injured center has yet to appear in a game this season due to an ankle injury.
Robinson is the best rim-protecting big man on the roster, as well as a dominant rebounder. The Knicks haven't said when he will return, though he did travel with the team early this week for the start of their three-game road trip.
A healthy version of the Knicks has the talent to be a force in the wide-open Eastern Conference, but Brown and the coaching staff might have to work to hide some problem areas on the roster in a potential playoff series when the margins between the teams are often very small.
