The New York Knicks and the whole league are in trouble. Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors may bring a blowout loss or two when the Dubs come to town. The pessimism is a shame because Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks front office have actually made good gambles on signing young (but injury prone) talent. The best thing to do now for the Knicks defense is to prepare to defend against Warriors.
The Warriors are not an unknown factor. They will play the same way they did last year and the year before, only now they will have an extra threat with Kevin Durant. Preparing just for the Warriors will not sacrifice preparation for other teams. The league has generally become guard- and three pointer-heavy. The NBA is a copycat league, so team offense is reliant on pick and rolls. If the Knicks practice to play the Warriors, it also takes care of the other teams in the league.
Courtney Lee’s Defense is Key
The Knicks need to focus on perimeter defense. Courtney Lee was the perfect signing for that reason. Lee’s defense is more effective the further away his opponent is from the hoop. When Lee was with the Charlotte Hornets last season, opponents shot 19% from 15 feet or further when Lee was the primary defender. He keeps them out there as well. His opponents’ shots come from 15 feet or further 75% of the time. As the players get closer to the basket, their shooting percentages jump. Players shoot 77.8% at 10 feet to 85.7% at 6 feet against Lee.
The Hornets’ loss is the Knicks’ gain if Lee can keep his impact similar to what Charlotte experienced. This table from The Hive shows his impact:
| Opponents shooting percentage when defended by Lee | Opponents normal shooting percentage | |
| FG% | 33.9 | 43.1 |
| 3PT% | 20.8 | 35.6 |
Rose Needs to Improve
Derrick Rose has been heavily scrutinized his entire career. However, his defense compared to other guards is on par with Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving, which is not stalwart defensive company but not bad company either. On the Bulls last season, Rose’s blocks and steals dropped. His defensive RPM (rating per minute) was -3.17. The season before that he was -0.26, and that is a much better PG rating. If he can get back to that effect on defense the Knicks will have a formidable defensive guard rotation.
The Bulls were a full 4 points better defensively with Rose off the court. Part of the reason is his understandable reluctance to get hit on screens. As a result, he loses ground on simple pick and rolls that less injury-prone guards could fight over.
Teams will exploit this problem. It will be interesting to see how head coach Jeff Hornacek, not known for defense wizardry, handles this problem.
Carmelo, Stay on Course
Last year Carmelo Anthony took a huge step forward defensively. At the midway mark, Carmelo Anthony was on record for 17 contested 3-pointers. In 40 games the year before, he had 18. The dedication was paying off as shooters were going only 23.8% from behind the arc. LeBron James had the highest mark and Anthony was second. Especially considering that Anthony was in the bottom five the year before, it is an encouraging stat. Carmelo is focused but prone to things like this:
Defense is King
Along with Kristaps Porzingis, Joakim Noah, Brandon Jennings, and full bench, this team’s interior and perimeter defense shouldn’t have trouble containing offensive teams. Prepare to contain the endless shooters Golden State and others will use now, and maybe the Knicks can avoid a blowout or two this season.
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