It’s been a while since the New York Knicks have won a basketball game and I’m thinking it’s time to revisit my blog after the first Knicks game when I convinced myself they were pretty good…
Earlier this year the New York Knicks won their first basketball game of the regular season. Naturally, I got really excited and wrote this blog, in which I started convincing myself that the Knicks were going to be much better than predicted.
Boy, was I wrong.
The Knicks stink. Nearly a quarter into the season, the team boasts the fourth worst record in the league and are cruising through a six-game losing streak. The energy I felt in the first game has turned into a quiet confidence that no matter how hard the team competes, they won’t be able to close down the stretch.
The defense that I was so excited about has been mostly non-existent in a lot of the lineups that head coach David Fizdale has been experimenting with.
Trey Burke has racked up a few DNPs, Ron Baker is basically non-existent, and Enes Kanter has been absolutely atrocious on the defensive end.
Even though the Knicks have been terrible since I grossly overreacted to a single win, there have actually been a lot of bright spots for the squad.
Mitchell Robinson and Allonzo Trier have burst onto the scene, proving themselves to be valuable contributors each and every night. Damyean Dotson has given the team a lot of unexpected production on both ends of the floor. Even Noah Vonleh has exceeded expectations due to his tough attitude and willingness to play with a high motor.
Even further, the Knicks have found themselves in tight games down the stretch in a lot of these losses, clearly lacking the closing ability that comes with a high-caliber veteran presence. Whenever Kristaps Porzingis returns, the Knicks might actually be able to come away with some of those close wins.
At the end of the day, this team is doing exactly what we expected them to do: going through growing pains as they continue to trot out one of the youngest rosters in the league. Losses are lessons and this team is going to learn a lot of lessons with a talented young core.
It also doesn’t hurt that this year’s draft has some insane talent like Duke’s Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett. If the Knicks learn a lot of “lessons” and come away with a top pick, I’ll officially deem this season a success.
Either way, I’m man enough to admit that my overreaction to a good first game was a tad bit premature.
