The 126-101 loss for the New York Knicks against the Oklahoma City Thunder was flattering. In truth, it was a blowout by the end of the first quarter. When a head coach like Tom Thibodeau, traditionally loathed to take out his starters, is forced to wave the white flag at the start of the fourth, it tells its own story. This game was billed as an opportunity for the Knicks to show what they’re all about at home, capable of giving the 31-6 Thunder a game. Unfortunately for Thibodeau’s men, just like the first matchup last week, they got overwhelmed. Oklahoma City should be considered a benchmark for the reeling of late (25-14) Knicks.
Thunder Should Be Considered a Benchmark for Reeling Knicks
Worrying Trends In New York
The Knicks are starting to look like bottom-feeders. They were unable to compete against multiple playoff teams. They also lost to the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Hawks, all sitting in the play-in spots.
New York has a phenomenal starting lineup. On any given night, any of the starters can go off. Karl-Anthony Towns is playing at a new high. Jalen Brunson is on his way to an All-NBA spot. The indispensable glue guy, Josh Hart, is paired with OG Anunoby, an elite defender. Finally, there’s Mikal Bridges, acquired for five first-round picks.
On the other hand, they don’t have a bench. This sounds hyperbolic, but looking at the trends, it’s almost indisputable and a problem.
Thunder’s Bench Superiority
Isaiah Joe dropped 31 points off the bench for the Thunder and went 8-11 from three-point range. He scored more than Anunoby, Bridges, and Hart combined. OKC also has Aaron Wiggins off the bench. He went perfect from the field last night and scored 19 points in last week’s game against New York. In his last four games, he’s 8-14 from deep and 22-29 from the field.
The Knicks don’t have anyone comparable off the bench.
Landry Shamet and Cameron Payne got worked by the Thunder on Friday. Miles McBride returned from injury but was out of rhythm. All of his perimeter shots were off, not hitting a single three. The Knicks bench went 2-14 from three-point range.
The Knicks have a weak bench. They are dead last in the NBA in bench points at 19.9, while OKC averages 33.1. Furthermore, they have the best plus/minus off the bench in the NBA at 4.4, while New York has 0.6. Due to the Knicks giving up most of their tradeable assets in the Bridges trade, there are limited pieces they can acquire that match up salary-wise with outgoing pieces at the deadline. To address these fundamental flaws, it’s likely to be an offseason job.
Knicks Lack of Offensive Cohesion
Hart recently spoke to insider Ian Begley about whether New York could compete against the top eight teams.
Asked if NYK has enough to compete vs. top-8 teams in NBA, Josh Hart says, “I think we do. We have to go out there with energy. We have to go out there with no egos. We have to go out there with no individual agendas. We have to go out there & sacrifice.” pic.twitter.com/5simxLrNkd
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 11, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
It’s not clear whether Hart is pointing the finger at a particular player. It feels like it’s a sign that the chemistry is currently lacking on the roster. When the Knicks are cooking, they look unstoppable. However, there was too much hero ball on the court against OKC. Brunson wasn’t creating on offense effectively. Perhaps Hart’s comments were a nod to wing partner Bridges, booed heartily for going 0-9 from the field and 0-7 from three. Also, he was tasked with defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, getting completely roasted in the process.
Offensively, the Knicks lack cohesion because they are overly reliant on the three-ball. They were a meagre 4-31, 12.9% from three. They are either incapable or refuse to drive into the paint, making them extremely easy to defend zonally. Mark Daigneault went from man to zone in the first half, confusing the Knicks. They have been susceptible to forcing threes lately, going 4-22 against the Magic, 8-30 against the Bulls, and 9-32 last week against the Thunder.
As Hart says, the Knicks need to sacrifice but also find variation in their attack. All too often, the offense is stagnant. Currently, there’s far too much resting on Towns’ shoulders. He’s their only physical presence, best shooter, best rebounder, and only paint threat. On the other hand, Oklahoma City has plenty of cohesion and chemistry, making them fundamentally sound. Every man knows their role.
OKC’s Vast Defensive Superiority
OKC is first in steals per game with 11.6. Also, they sit fourth in blocks, averaging 6.0 per game. The Knicks are 23rd and 28th in the NBA in those departments, respectively. This is a huge disparity. Oklahoma City sits first in defensive rating, while New York is 15th. The Thunder are first in deflections, and the Knicks are 20th.
Beyond the stats, the Knicks struggle to defend the pick-and-roll and closing out three-point shooters. These are the factors that matter in the postseason at which OKC excels. They also struggle when teams switch against them because they lack size. Daigenault took full advantage of that, baiting the Knicks to force three-point attempts as they couldn’t in the paint with Isaiah Hartenstein anchoring it. It also helps when their star player is a superb defender. Both Towns and Brunson are comparably weak defensively in their positions.
Let’s not forget the Minnesota Timberwolves used Towns as a forward to pair him with a defensive-minded center in Rudy Gobert. The jury is still out on whether the Knicks can win a chip with Towns at the five. Without Mitchell Robinson and Hartenstein, New York is deficient in protecting the rim and being active on the glass.
The Last Word
The Thunder should be considered a benchmark for the Knicks in many ways. They showed New York how far off they are from competing at an elite level. OKC exposed the weaknesses of their bench and how easily they found mismatches in their favor offensively with their size. New York is overly perimeter-centric, and their lack of variation made them easy fodder for Oklahoma City. In terms of cohesion, the entire OKC roster knew their roles, while the opposite could be said for the Knicks.
New York may be third in a comparatively weak Eastern Conference, but they are a mile away from the Thunder, as proven over this past week. It doesn’t have to be a panic-inducing loss for the Knicks, but rather a benchmark to the levels required to improve. Meanwhile, the Thunder look like favorites to make the NBA Finals.
The post Thunder Should Be Considered a Benchmark for Reeling Knicks appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.