Karl Anthony-Towns’ arrival has made the Knicks an offensively potent team. But they still lack some punch defensively. Despite head coach Tom Thibodeau’s best efforts, the team is 18th in the league in defensive rating and is giving up nearly 115 points every 100 possessions. New York is desperate to improve its defense, which was a strength last season, and Joakim Noah has a tip that he believes will solve the issue.
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On The Young Man and the Three podcast, the former Defensive Player of the Year advised the Knicks to stop relying on Jalen Brunson to defend the high pick-and-roll. At 6-foot-2, the guard doesn’t have the size, strength, or agility to defend that action. Noah believes that either Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby should be at the tip of the formation to defend the pick-and-roll. He said,
“As effective as they are in the high pick and roll with Brunson and KAT, they have to figure out how to guard it themselves, on the other end. Sometimes you can get a little tricky, and maybe take Brunson out of that high pick and roll and put one of those big wings and try to have them guard the pick and roll.”
The Knicks’ forwards are excellent on the defensive end and are more equipped than Brunson to defend the high pick-and-roll. Masking the guard’s defensive deficiencies will be critical if the Knicks intend to venture deep into the playoffs.
However, it’s worth noting that the team is still finding its identity as they have two new starters in Bridges and Towns. They are slowly but surely getting better and should be on the same page come playoff time.
The New York Knicks are rising
The acquisition of KAT was always going to make an already high-scoring team even better offensively, and over the past few games, he and Brunson have shown how deadly they can be as a duo.
Brunson leads the team with 25.2 points and 7.2 assists per game, and KAT is a steady double-double machine, averaging 25.1 points and 13.3 rebounds. After a shaky start, Bridges seems to have found his footing. He’s averaging nearly 23 points in December.
Complimentary pieces like Josh Hart and OG Anunoby are as consistent as ever, and if they can get their defensive issues sorted out, the New York Knicks can make a legitimate run at the title come April.
