Knicks Must Make Changes on Defense

The New York Knicks must be better defensively moving forward.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 31, 2025

Jan 27, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) passes the ball as New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) defends during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are going into February in a strong position towards the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

However, changes will need to be made if the Knicks are to advance further in the playoffs this spring.

ESPN writer Neil Paine suggests that the Knicks need to make some moves on the defensive end of the floor.

"New York has had a problem with balance going back to the 2022-23 season, when it began building the Jalen Brunson-led iteration of the franchise. That season, the Knicks ranked No. 3 on offense but No. 19 on defense, with Brunson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett standing out as imbalanced players in that regard," Paine writes.

"The Knicks seemed to be improving a year ago, ranking seventh on offense while rising to 10th on defense, but this year's version is back to its old imbalanced self. It would be easy to point fingers at Brunson, an elite offensive talent who has been a part of the Knicks' worst defensive lineups, but New York plays its starters together so much that everyone shares blame for this mediocre defensive showing."

The Knicks are pretty set in their ways with Tom Thibodeau playing the same small rotation throughout the season. However, they could make a change or two with the trade deadline coming up.

Ahead of next week's deadline, the Knicks can choose to add a player or two who could help defensively. However, it's highly unlikely that the Knicks will stray away from their rotation and starting lineup, so Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns will have to make those changes themselves if the Knicks want to make some noise.

The Knicks are back in action tomorrow as they take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.

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

Published Jan 31, 2025

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.