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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
New York has a phenomenal starting lineup. On any given night, any of the starters can go off. Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> is playing at a new high. Jalen Brunson<\/a> is on his way to an All-NBA spot. The indispensable glue guy, Josh Hart<\/a>, is paired with OG Anunoby<\/a>, an elite defender. Finally, there’s Mikal Bridges<\/a>, acquired for five first-round picks.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Isaiah Joe<\/a> 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n The Knicks don’t have anyone comparable off the bench.<\/p>\n Landry Shamet<\/a> and Cameron Payne<\/a> got worked by the Thunder on Friday. Miles McBride<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n The Knicks have a weak\u00a0bench<\/a>. They are dead last in the NBA in bench points<\/a> 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\u00a0Bridges 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.<\/p>\n Hart recently spoke to insider Ian Begley about whether New York could compete against the top eight teams.<\/p>\n Asked if NYK has enough to compete vs. top-8 teams in NBA, Josh Hart says, \u201cI 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.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/5simxLrNkd<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 11, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThunder’s Bench Superiority<\/h3>\n
Knicks Lack of Offensive Cohesion<\/h3>\n
\n