Slumping Knicks Players Who Need to Step Up

The friskier-than-expected New York Knicks look like a Tom Thibodeau-coached team.

Probably because Tom Thibodeau is the coach. Funny how that works, right?

What we mean, though, is this roster plays hard and competes like mad at the defensive end. Last season, this was the NBA's eighth-worst defense. Now, it's tied for 10th-best.

Tack on Julius Randle's early All-Star candidacy, a big step forward for RJ Barrett and Alec Burks boosting his trade value, and there might be reasons to get downright giddy in Gotham.

But there are some worrisome areas for the 'Bockers, too, specifically involving the following three slow starters.

Reggie Bullock

Luis M. Alvarez/Associated Press

At times in Reggie Bullock's career, he's made the league's short list of impact three-and-D wings.

This is not one of them.

It's hard to meet the "three" part of that label when you're shooting just 33.3 percent from three, Bullock's joint-worst rate since his rookie season in 2013-14. Frankly, it's hard to offer much value when shouldering the woeful 38.6 field-goal percentage he's been lugging around.

It comes as no surprise, then, to see Bullock rank dead last among Knicks' regulars in net differential. New York has gone from getting outscored by 7.2 points per 100 possessions when he plays to outscoring opponents by 7.4 points per 100 possessions when he doesn't.

Kevin Knox II

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

This is year three in the NBA career of 2018's No. 9 draft pick, Kevin Knox II.

Has anyone figured out what he's good at yet?

His stat line shifts from one problematic number to the next. His 43.5/36.0/66.7 slash line is underwhelming at every level. His 1.2 assists per game are being erased by his 1.4 turnovers per contest. Like most of his teammates, he's at least improved his activity at the defensive end, but it's not nearly enough to cover his offensive limitations.

Put it this way: He underwhelmed in each of his first two NBA seasons, and both received superior marks to his current 7.5 player efficiency rating—exactly half of the metric's league-average.

Frank Ntilikina

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Frank Ntilikina butters his bread at the defensive end, and he's good at what he does. New York's defense is at its absolute stingiest when he's on the floor, surrendering a minuscule 95.6 points per 100 possessions.

Once the action shifts over to the opposite end, though, that's where he loses his utility.

He's an inconsistent (if not outright inaccurate) shooter from distance and an unreliable finisher inside the arc. He has never wowed as a ball mover, either.

Until he finds an offensive niche, it's unclear if he can fit in a functional attack. Among New York's semi-regulars—he hasn't played 20 minutes in a game yet and only cleared five minutes twice—he has the worst offensive rating at a dismal 96.6. For context, the Golden State Warriors ranked dead last in offensive rating last season with a 104.4.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.