What We've Learned About the 2015-16 New York Knicks so Far
Through nine wins and 10 losses, New York Knicks fans have learned, to their pleasure, that the 2015-16 Knicks are a whole lot better than last year's squad. We can also concede that Phil Jackson might have the makings of a smart NBA executive and isn't just a 6'8" mad scientist concocting rosters in his lab.
Beyond that, though, defining this team has, thus far, been a slippery business. Just when you think you've got it figured out, it does something that breaks form—typical of a new roster trying to find its identity.
This grappling with a .500 average and flirting with a playoff berth leaves fans perpetually teeter-tottering on the brink of "BOO!" or "Woo-hoo!" That's probably how the entire season will be, folks, so get used to that dizzy feeling.
Here are a few things we can stick a pin in...for now.
They Close Games with a Whimper, Not a Roar
Oh, the pain. Fourth-quarter collapses caused three of the Knicks' 10 losses. The manner of the collapse will vary—might be turnovers, might be stupid fouls, might be ice-cold shooting—but the end result is always the same.
Nov. 11, the Charlotte Hornets outscored the Knicks by 12 in the fourth quarter and won 95-93. Nov. 13, the Cleveland Cavaliers outscored them by 12 in Q4 and won 90-84. Nov. 17, the Knicks came perilously close to losing to Charlotte a second time when they failed to score a field goal for the final 5:54 of regulation.
Sunday, it was the same story. They led the Houston Rockets for nearly the entire game (as this sickening graphic illustrates beautifully), entered the fourth quarter up 10, turned the ball over six times, then lost in overtime 116-111.
The Bench Rotations Are a Mystery
The Knicks starting five is effectively set in stone, but lately the reserves have been in and out and up and down.
One may make strident arguments for or against this. Some may strenuously object to head coach Derek Fisher's latest shake-up and proclaim "The rotations must be nailed down! Players must know their role! They need to get into a rhythm!"
That sounds good...until something happens.
Maybe one of those rotations starts to play like it's its first day of basketball camp at the Y. Then the strenuous objections will be "Do something, Fisher! Get that guy outta there! Put the other guy in!"
Or maybe some third-string reserve suddenly has a breakout quarter when he plays like a hero. Then the gripes as he heads to the pine are "Don't take him out! He's got the hot hand! Can somebody tell me why Fisher isn't giving him more minutes?"
Sometimes multiple players at the same position get into early foul trouble. Sometimes there's a bad matchup. Sometimes guys get tired. Sometimes you just need to give a guy a few minutes on the hardwood every few games so he doesn't get depressed. There are many valid reasons a coach cannot always stick to an eight- to 10-man rotation.
Fisher did begin the season with a consistent second unit of Jerian Grant, Langston Galloway, Derrick Williams, Lance Thomas and Kyle O'Quinn, with Kevin Seraphin filling in a few minutes when other big men got into early foul trouble. The lineup is only in flux now because the second unit fell to pieces about eight games into the season and Fisher's trying to find something that will work.
The good news is, he might be closing in on a solution. This week several members of the original second unit suddenly started showing signs of life, particularly Grant and Williams. Fisher might put Seraphin in O'Quinn's old place and call it done.
Their Perimeter Defense Is Strong
Last season, the Knicks were worst in league opponents' three-point field-goal percentage (38.0%). This season, marvel of marvels, they are best in the league, holding opponents to only 29.9 percent on average and 3.7 percent below their normal shooting efficiency from three-point range.
Sadly, it hasn't helped them reliably log W's against the strongest three-point shooting teams yet. They're 1-1 versus the Rockets and the Hornets and 0-2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who happen to excel at a lot more than just shooting threes.
Nevertheless, it has allowed them to be competitive in a way they simply weren't last season, and everyone on the team is contributing to the effort.
The Free-Throw Disparity Is Still a Killer
The Knicks send opponents to the line way more than anyone else in the league. They give up 28.7 free-throw attempts per game—2.0 more than the second-worst Memphis Grizzlies.
Meanwhile, they're only taking 22.3 free throws per game themselves—a mediocre sum and a criminal waste for a team shooting an exemplary 81.3 percent from the line.
It's an improvement since last season, but they still have been outshot at the stripe 13 of 19 games. The fact that they're not drawing many fouls is frustrating, but no shocker considering how much they still rely on jumpers.
They Do Not Score in the Paint
The Knicks average the fewest paint points in the league (two years running) and have been outscored in that region 15 of 19 games this season so far...and badly. They don't need to become Lob City East, but it is something they need to address.
Why? If you rely too heavily on free throws, you put your fate in the hands of the referees. If you live by the three, you're dismantled by a strong perimeter defense. If your ace jump shooter just can't find his stroke that night, you're finished unless you have a way to find some easier buckets. Every team needs multiple weapons in its arsenal, and one the Knicks are definitely missing is an ability to score serious points in the paint.
Part of the trouble recently is that the Knicks' best penetrators have been struggling to score once they break down the defense. Mostly, though, it's an issue of too many jump shots by everyone, seven-foot centers included.
Fisher will need to find a way to make more happen inside, perhaps as John Schmeelk of CBS New York suggests, by feeding the rock to Arron Afflalo in the post, as the Miami Heat do with Dwyane Wade.
Their Young Talent Hints at a Bright Future
Knicks rookie phenom Kristaps Porzingis got to begin the season slamming some nasty putback dunks on Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge. Yet Sunday night he had a taste of his own medicine, when the Rockets' Dwight Howard smashed him with a punishing alley-oop slam that sent Porzingis stumbling.
Some rookies might want to hide under a rock after someone smacks the shine off their rising star. Not Porzingis. Per ESPN's Ian Begley:
"He dunked on me; he got me. I was asking [my teammates], ‘When is the next game against Houston? I want to get him back,’” Porzingis said with a grin. "You know, it happens. He’s a great player. I’m looking forward to playing next time against him."
That sporting spirit and bravery in front of the media are just the cherries on top of the sundae when it comes to Porzingis. He's shuffling around the tippy-top of the rookie leaderboards with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor and averaging 13.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.
More impressively, at times he moves nearly as gracefully as a guard, creating off the dribble-drive, like his fellow rookie, 6'5" point guard Jerian Grant.
For a couple weeks there it appeared that Grant had taken off on a fast break, run down court and plowed headlong into "the rookie wall." He couldn't shoot, he couldn't keep a handle on the ball, he couldn't penetrate, he had no jump shot to speak of.
Yet Grant perked up during Sunday's loss to Houston and he glowed in Wednesday night's 99-87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored 12 and got to show off for his little brother, Jerami, starting forward for the Sixers.
Porzingis and Grant, as well as sophomore guard Langston Galloway, give Knicks fans something to cheer about now and for the next few years. They're showing not only talent on the court, but poise to recover when talent falls short.
*What else have we learned? We know that Fisher sometimes shaves his moustache a little too close, that Lou Amundson has a Parisian girlfriend who makes a mean French braid and that Robin Lopez and his brother Brook can't live together because their cats would fight.
Who knows what other revelations this season may hold?
All stats are from NBA.com/stats and accurate as of Dec. 3. Follow Sara Peters on Twitter @3FromThe7.
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