The New York Knicks have struggled this week largely because they are not getting enough production from their role players. Jalen Brunson has done his job on the scoring front, but the others have failed to step up at a time they need to.
Knicks need better production from Brunson’s supporting cast
Perhaps the best example came Monday night against the Detroit Pistons, when the Knicks got embarrassed on the road for their fourth straight loss. Karl-Anthony Towns had a disastrous game, scoring just six points and committing six turnovers in 23 minutes.
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges couldn’t provide a spark either, as they combined for just 15 points on 5-for-14 shooting from the field. It wasn’t an amazing Brunson game, as he committed six turnovers and didn’t record an assist, but he still managed to score 25 points and shoot a solid 10-for-21 clip.
The Knicks are simply not getting valuable production out of Brunson’s supporting cast. This has led to disjointed offense, poor defense, and overall bad vibes around the team during this losing skid.
Knicks need to right the ship now
New York has trailed by 20 or more points at some point in three consecutive games, and they blew a 19-point lead to the San Antonio Spurs prior to the last three games. They have been missing Josh Hart during this stretch, which is certainly playing a part in their struggles, but the Knicks look totally lifeless without him, which is not good.
The Knicks will eventually turn the tide, but they need to get the strong production they got from the others at the start of the season. Brunson can’t do it all himself, and relying on him to save them once again will only lead to more struggles from this group.
The team needs to turn things around on Wednesday, when they head back home to face the red hot Los Angeles Clippers. A win needs to happen to get themselves back on track.