While we all use the term "fan" coloquially, we often forget that Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes it as the short-term version of the word fanatic. And as such, some Knicks fans have turned their panic levels all the way up after, yup, you guessed it, one game.
Some of it is pretty over-reactionary. But to be fair, a few of the Knicks' ugly trends reared their heads on Tuesday and some of the concern is justified.
Knicks starters' mixed bag wasn't especially promising
Let's begin with the starters. Jalen Brunson struggled from the field, and it led to some claiming that he's being a ball hog again or that he can't score against the 76ers defenders. It was a subpar game from the captain. He'd be the first one to tell you that.
But how many times have we seen Brunson come through when it really matters? How often have we seen him figure opponents out as the season goes on? Brunson saw some different coverages and didn't quite look like himself. He also missed multiple shots that he often makes—shots that we should be happy with him taking. Sometimes you get to your spots, get the shot you're looking for, and just miss. He'll be fine.
Then there's OG Anunoby. The wing, who was among the few Knicks who looked good during the preseason, struggled mightily, going just 3-12 from the field. For those who believed Anunoby could make his first All-Star appearance this season, it was close to as bad of a start as he could've had.
But Anunoby was handed a few grenades and was forced to take a few tough shots. And with Towns not being able to sling passes to the cutting Anunoby due to his foul troubles, he could just never really get into a rhythm. He, like Brunson, will be ok.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges' red flags are a bit more worrisome, though. Towns was amazing when he was on the court. He was efficient with his shot and was solid defensively as well. The only problem is, he couldn't stay on the court. The big man played just 24 minutes due to foul trouble—something that plagued him last season as well.
Unfortunately, Knicks fans weren't particularly surprised. While nobody really believed that his propensity to commit silly fouls early on, it is still discouraging to see it be such an issue in game number one. It's looking this will be something that Towns and the Knicks will have to deal with all season long once again.
On to Bridges, who was looked at as a possible breakout candidate by fans entering the season. Some believed that after winning a championship, the wing could play without the pressures of being traded for five first-round picks, and be the confident and aggressive player he was for much of the postseason.
That could still end up being the case. After all, it's just one game. But in said game, Bridges was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't just that he didn't score. It's that he looked like the hesitant disappearing act that fans despised having to occasionally watch throughout the last two regular seasons.
New York doesn't need all five of its starters to explode every game. But the Knicks will need one of their wings to at least play decent on most nights. On a night where Anunoby didn't quite have it, it was disappointing to see Bridges not only not score a lot, but not even look to be aggressive. And that's a justified concern for fans.
Knicks' bench wasn't all bad
Now, the bench. As I recently wrote, it wasn't all negatives with the second unit. Jose Alvarado was solid throughout most of the game, and Andre Drummond had one of the most memorable debut halves for any Knicks bench player ever. But there were plenty of cracks that showed during the loss.
Landry Shamet and Deuce McBride won't combine to shoot 2-7 from three and 3-12 from the field often. Though when and if they do, this bench unit can look ugly. It quickly turns into a unit that relies heavily on hustle and defense all while being without shooting or any real consistent advantage-creators.
On most nights, they, and in turn, the bench, will be fine. It shouldn't be a trend, and it shouldn't make you panic.
The concerns surrounding the transition defense are also of note. New York, as Mike Brown suggested, looked like it was stuck in mud all night long.
Against a 76ers team that was faster, more athletic, and more intentional about playing fast, the Knicks defense was consistently a step behind. But that isn't necessarily new. The Knicks struggled at times against such teams last season before locking in on their transition defense in the postseason.
I can see a season with a similar trend where they struggle on that side of things at times during the regular season. Though as long as they also repeat their trend of figuring it out in the postseason, so be it.
The season opener was ugly, but far from a reason to panic
Otherwise, the defense, despite making Tyrese Maxey look undefendable, held up well enough. It was the offense that held them back. Bu as mentioned earlier, that had a lot to do with missed shots. If Brunson, Anunoby, Shamet, and McBride make the shots they usually make, and Towns stays out of foul trouble, this offense will score a lot.
While it can be difficult to keep the panic low after losing a team the Knicks may match up against in the postseason, there isn't any major reason to be overly concerned. This team is still very good. Their weaknesses from last season will likely carry over, but as will their stregth, of which there were many.
And look at it this way. In a game in which Brunson, Anunoby, Bridges, Shamet, and McBride shot a combined 14-51 (27%), Towns played just 24 minutes, and the team committed three more turnovers than the 76ers, they lost by just six.
Unfortunately, the Knicks will have games like this. That's precisely why I don't see them running through and dominating the regular season like some other defending champions in the past have. But that's okay. This team is built for the postseason and that's their one true priority. Go through the necessary steps now and go win in the playoffs.
There's one big elephant in the room: the starting lineup. I firmly believe each individual will be fine in a vacuum and that a lot of their struggles in the season opener will be solved as soon as Friday. But the fact that we have indisputable evidence over a very large sample size that this starting lineup continues to get out to slow starts is cause for concern.
They were good enough to win a championship despite it but, against a stronger Eastern Conference, it's worth paying attention to as the only real major reason for potential panic early on.
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