CHARLOTTE – It was one of the worst first-half plays of the season offensively. It was emblematic of an issue that Josh Hart fears could be the blueprint for dismantling the Knicks' scoring weapons.
With about 7:15 left in the second quarter, Jalen Brunson's Mavericks defender Quentin Grimes was screened by Karl-Anthony Towns. The screen was weak and almost non-existent, but Grimes still switched to defending Towns as Maxi Kleber took care of Brunson on the ball.
The Knicks (10-8) naturally and predictably cornered the size mismatch. Towns received the pass at the top of the key and faced the much smaller Grimes, who is a decent defender and deceptively strong. Towns worked hard to get him back and was quickly double-teamed before taking three dribbles to get to the paint.
The hook shot didn't even touch the rim.
About 30 seconds later, the same discrepancy occurred after switching. Hart threw the ball into the post for Towns, but Towns retreated so forcefully against Grimes that the whistle blew for the charge.
turn over.
At that moment, the Knicks failed to score on six consecutive possessions.
The lowest scoring quarter in the first 12 minutes jumped to the lowest scoring half.
They lost by 24 points.
“We're giving the team a game plan,” Hart explained after the 129-114 loss.
This wasn't the first time Hart had expressed this concern.
Despite the scoring power the Knicks have squeezed out this season, they have shown a pretty consistent weakness against “teams that switch, teams that mess up games,” Hart said, adding that the Rockets and Celtics have also shown this weakness. A strategy he pointed out that punished the Knicks for this.
He predicted the Hornets, whom the Knicks will play on Black Friday afternoon, will do the same under rookie head coach Charles Lee, a former Celtics assistant.
Hart, on the other hand, offered two solutions. One is to use himself more often in the pick-and-roll, changing the defenders who switch on rotations and screeners. Or, more simply, attack the switch at a faster pace.
“I have to adjust accordingly, whether it brings me into the action and still getting (centers) involved and doing that. Or playing faster and playing with more momentum. You can,” Hart said.
“And then there's confusion in switching teams. We have a talented team. Guys who can shoot the ball. So when we're playing slow, it's easy to be guarded. Because we have a set defense. Because it is against.”
To be clear, this switch wasn't the only reason the Knicks were shut down in the first half against the Mavericks. Hurts missed several shots near the rim and threw a one-armed turnover like Daniel Jones in the red zone.
But the Mavericks were also very comfortable throwing defenders all over the court. There was little consideration given to the issues.
“Every day is a new challenge,” Towns said. “I guarantee you, (Mavericks coach) Jason Kidd is a hell of a coach. He watched the game and found a way to play against us. He did a great job. They prepared. was completed.”
Hart recognized the problem. Instead of the motion offense that produced 145 points and 45 assists against Denver just two nights ago, the Knicks fell into inefficient half-court sets.
He had 20 assists in Dallas.
“That's what keeps us stagnant. When teams change, we have to play faster,” Hart said. “We had to put them in positions where they could make mistakes off-ball, off-screening, miscommunication, things like that.
“When we're playing slow, we just try to find mismatches because we know our opponents are switching. And when we're behind and playing set defense, it doesn't matter if we have mismatches. No. So we had to play faster, let them make mistakes and capitalize on them.”
Branson agreed.
“Obviously they were making a switch,” the point guard said. “In terms of transitions, we probably need to attack a little bit earlier. But it's a mixture of not getting the ball in and making good looks and sometimes they play good defense. Honestly, things like this… That shouldn't happen.”
Less talked about, but just as important, is that the Mavericks have a top-10 defense (No. 7) and have versatility throughout the lineup, especially with Luka Doncic out with an injury. It's about being there. The same goes for the Celtics (8th) and Rockets (2nd). Meanwhile, the Hornets are ranked 19th and have a big hole in LaMelo Ball's defense.
So even if Charlotte (6-12) tries to exploit the Knicks' weaknesses, it hasn't demonstrated the commitment or ability to make it work. There are only a few defenders in the NBA like Houston's Dillon Brooks who can handle both Brunson and Towns.
But the Knicks will have to face these teams throughout the long season, or more importantly, in the playoffs. That's another thing.
