Knicks Must Make Changes on Defense

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.