Brandon Jennings: New York Knicks need more confrontation
Jan 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Brandon Jennings (3) drives to the basket defended by Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

New York Knicks‘ Brandon Jennings has played with an edge since his first game in New York. He thinks the team should follow his lead.

New York Knicks point guard Brandon Jennings believes there’s more to their six-game losing streak than what’s happening on the court.

After a heartbreaking defeat at the buzzer just two days ago, the Knicks will try to snap Friday night in the second half of a home-and-home with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jennings told Ian Begley of ESPN New York the team lacks an edge that he finds necessary.

“Guys are still together. I just wish we would hold guys, we would hold each other a little more accountable for what we do on the court,” Jennings said in an interview with ESPN on Thursday. “I definitely like confrontation. I definitely like being coached and being told when I’m doing something wrong. So those are things that I really think we need to start doing within each other and the team because that’s what good teams do.

“I’m not looking at it as a negative. Just sometimes, like last night, the second unit should have gotten ripped for what we did in the fourth. That’s just how I feel.”

The backup point guard is expressing beliefs that are more common among the old school NBA watchers.

It’s typically up to the star player to hold his teammates accountable for what they’ve done wrong, but Carmelo Anthony isn’t that kind of leader and Kristaps Porzingis is just 21-years-old.

Joakim Noah‘s mediocre play has kept him from being that voice in the locker room, and Derrick Rose has always been a quiet guy.

Then again Jennings could just put his money where his mouth is. Instead of going to the media he should have a chat with his teammates. We’ll see.

As unfair as it is, this one could be all on the head coach.

Disciplinarian coaches are dying out because everyone in the league wants to be friends, and Jeff Hornacek is clearly not the type to chew out his guys. He’s more of a players coach. Nothing wrong with that.

Until it starts to make the coach look soft. There’s a fine line between Doc Rivers and Mike Woodson. You can only let the players get away with so much. Eventually, it’s going to be on Hornacek to do something about this funk his team is in.