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Knicks Must Find Their Defensive Stopper

The New York Knicks are in need of better defense.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) looks for an opening as New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Nov 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) looks for an opening as New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks are coached by defensive guru Tom Thibodeau, but they aren't playing like a team that is led by him.

The Knicks have one of the league's best offenses coupled with one of the worst defenses, which is why the team has hovered around the .500 mark for most of the season.

Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale suggests that the team should look to trade for defensive-minded players ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline.

"Point-of-attack defense looms larger right now. The Knicks knew the risks of pivoting to [Karl-Anthony] Towns at center. But [Mikal] Bridges is not holding up his end of the bargain on a regular basis—so much so New York has probably used [OG] Anunoby at the point-of-attack more than it'd prefer," Favale writes. "If Bridges isn't less than elite on the less glamorous end, the Knicks are in trouble. They can alleviate some of the blow by just being deeper."

The Knicks gave up a ton of their tradable assets for Bridges and Towns, but they aren't reaping the benefits quite yet. There's a harsh reality that may be coming that makes the Knicks realize that they still don't have enough to be the top contender in the Eastern Conference.

That's okay, as long as they do something about it. This could mean the Knicks just have to play better and enforce new methods to defend other teams, or it could mean they acquire new personnel to mix and match in lineups.

Chances are that they will need to do both if they wish to keep pace in the Eastern Conference and be a true threat to their opponents.

The Knicks are back in action on Saturday as they take on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. ET.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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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.

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