The New York Knicks entered Wednesday night’s loss to the Orlando Magic with the NBA’s best offense. They won’t be there on Thursday. And they must adjust accordingly.
This isn’t a hyperbolic response to one defeat. Despite what many of the stats will show, the offense has struggled against elite competition. The Knicks have faced three top-10 defenses so far, plus their dalliance with Orlando, which we know has a top-10-kind-of ceiling. New York’s offensive ratings in these tilts were…not great:
Rest disadvantages are a thing, and the Knicks were on the second night of a back-to-back when hosting Orlando. Some of their worst performances also came earlier in the schedule, when head coach Mike Brown’s system was still fresh.
To that end, his system remains fresh. Learning curves are part and parcel of what the Knicks are attempting to do.
Even so, they have a handful of adjustments that are already worth considering—if not outright implementing.
