The New York Knicks are 2-2 to begin the season, but there have been some rough stretches of play offensively. The team has had its moments of cohesiveness and consistency, but also some brutal stretches where they struggle to score.
The Knicks are having an up-and-down start to the season
Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks was perhaps the best example of that. In the first half, they scored 71 points and entered the halftime break up 12. They were unable to replicate that production in the closing half, as they were outscored 62-40 and lost the game by a score of 111-121.
Point guard Jalen Brunson spoke after the game about adjusting to the new offensive system introduced by Mike Brown, and he acknowledged that they are still learning how to play efficiently under it.
“There’s gonna be times where things aren’t going one of our ways. It’s on us as teammates to have his back. We’re not gonna use it as an excuse for a long time. It’s still fresh for us,” Brunson said, via SNY.
Brunson has been in a groove to begin the season. He has scored 30 or more points in three of the four games this season and has been carrying the offense on his back through the first four games.
The Knicks need to find their groove
However, his teammates have been inconsistent and are clearly struggling to adapt to the faster play. Karl-Anthony Towns scored just eight points in the loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday, and the bench shot 1-for-18 from three in Sunday’s loss to the Miami Heat.
The supporting cast needs to pick up their superstar teammate when he is off the court. They can only rely on Brunson for so long before the rest of the guys need to step up their play and have his back.
The process has looked clean so far, but they need to convert on those clean looks they are creating. It is still early in the season, so this is not the time to panic about the results on the court thus far.
The Knicks will have a few days to rest and recoup before they try to secure a bounce-back win. Their next game is set for Friday against the Chicago Bulls on the road before they head back home.