The New York Knicks are staring down an ugly 0-3 record after three brutal, close losses to Eastern Conference rivals. It’s their worst start since the David Fizdale era in 2019-20, and honestly, what started as disappointing has quickly spiraled into just plain bewildering. All three games were absolutely winnable, but execution, or a total lack thereof, cost them.
Offense? What Offense? The Early Season Collapse
Scoring 103 points or fewer in every single game just doesn’t fly in the modern NBA, especially when it’s looking like “early-Thibsian-level offense.” Forget raw point totals for a minute, the efficiency numbers are terrifying. On Opening Night against the Sixers, the Knicks’ shooting was straight-up atrocious. They fell apart not just from the perimeter, but shockingly, at the rim. Last season, this squad shot 66.3% in the restricted area and 58.3% in the paint. Against a Sixers team with “incredibly little rim protection,” they managed just 58.6% in the restricted area and a horrifying 42% in the paint. That’s a 16% drop in the paint, which is enough to decide games when those shots make up half the team’s diet. This shockingly bad shooting hasn’t let up, either. They’re currently 26th in the league in field goal percentage in the restricted area at 63%, and get this: dead last in total field goal percentage in the paint at a dismal 50%.
Brunson’s Slump And The Missing Perimeter Touch
So, who’s to blame for this offensive nightmare? Well, the numbers point fingers. Andre Drummond is sitting at 8-for-15 at the rim and 8-for-18 in the paint. Jalen Brunson, who was lights out last season at 47.9% on incredible volume outside the restricted area, is a dismal 4-for-18 from that same range this year. Josh Hart, another key guy, is struggling with 4-for-8 at the rim and 7-for-13 in the paint, a far cry from his 67.4% at the rim and 60.4% in the paint last season.
It’s not just the paint, though. Perimeter shooting has been mostly nonexistent. Outside of Deuce McBride’s “Boston heater,” nobody has found their touch to start the season. Four players have already attempted at least 14 threes, and all of them are shooting below league average: Brunson at 26.7%, Anunoby at 28.6%, Hart at 33.3%, and Shamet at 35.7%. And Mikal Bridges? He’s doing his best October 2024 impression, starting the year 0-for-10 from deep. Against the Magic, the Knicks took 32 open and wide open threes, but guess what? They made only nine of them. Many of those were clean looks you’d expect this team to bury. Last season, they averaged 30.5 of those attempts, but they clearly aren’t hitting them now.
The sample size is small, absolutely, but three close losses where better execution could have flipped the script? That’s what makes this 0-3 hole so frustrating. This team has the talent, but the early returns are ugly, especially with those clean looks going nowhere. They’ve gotta find their rhythm, and fast, if they want to dig out of this early hole in the Eastern Conference.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Posting and Toasting.
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