NBA Power Rankings: Knicks Defense Holding Them Back?

The New York Knicks have one of the worst defenses in the NBA. But where are they in the league's power rankings?

With a 9-11 record, the New York Knicks sit on the fringe of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, one spot shy of the play-in in 11th place.

While the team is just a few games away from the top of the Play-In pack ... a game-and-a-half behind seventh-place Toronto ... the Knicks' struggles have them further down on Sports Illustrated's power rankings, moving from No. 25 to 26.

"The blitz of the Knicks’ defense continued across three games last week," SI writes. "Against the Thunder, the offense overcame yet another spotty defensive outing thanks to Jalen Brunson’s season-best 34 points. The same couldn’t be said against the Trail Blazers or Grizzlies at home—both teams eclipsed 120 points, and New York couldn’t keep up despite two more 30-plus-point games by Brunson."

Despite employing Tom Thibodeau, who coached a top-3 defense in his first four seasons as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, the team has the 27th-best defensive rating in the league, leading only the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs ... all of whom are likewise struggling to keep up in the early playoff conversation.

The Knicks' defense has to be better if they want any sort of improvement over last year's 37-win slog. They will have a chance to showcase any potential improvement this week against the Pistons starting on Tuesday on the road (7 p.m. ET, MSG). Home games against the Milwaukee Bucks (Wednesday), Dallas Mavericks (Saturday), and Cleveland Cavaliers (Sunday) follow. 


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.