The New York Knicks are in a really bad slump, having dropped five of their last six games following their loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday. While it could simply be a mid-season slide, there are problems that have been apparent all season, which could mean some bigger changes need to be made.
The Knicks’ current group is struggling
Perimeter defense, in particular, continues to be a massively glaring flaw of this group. While it was improved down the stretch on Friday, the offense was unable to make up for it, as the Knicks couldn’t match the Suns’ physicality.
To make matters worse, they are still getting inconsistent performances from Karl-Anthony Towns. He scored just 15 points in the loss on Friday, and took only one shot in the fourth quarter.
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges have also struggled offensively for a while, and it may time to question if changes need to be made to get them back on track. They need more creativity on offense while also being a stronger team on the defensive side, and this group has failed to consistently show that 38 games into the season.
Do the Knicks need to make a trade?
The team may need to explore the trade market for better depth pieces who can contribute on both ends. Players they have been linked to include Jose Alvarado, Saddiq Bey, and Ayo Dosunmu. New York has title expectations this season, and they need to show that they can live up to those expectations.
Of course, getting Josh Hart back should help them regain some of that winning juice they had a few weeks ago. But the others still need to provide energy in some way for things to go right, or else they will continue to struggle.
The trade deadline is about a month away. It will be interesting to see what the Knicks do to address their flaws.