https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6816186/2025/11/18/knicks-defense-heat-film-breakdown/?source=emp_shared_article

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Knicks’ defense opens door for opponents to strike from deep: Film breakdown
James L. Edwards III

MIAMI — There are two ways to view the New York Knicks’ defense through 13 games.

You can take the glass-half-full mentality, in which they’re one of the best teams in the NBA at doing what they’re designed to do: keep teams out of the paint. Then there’s the glass-half-empty mentality, the one that acknowledges New York is allowing opponents to knock down 3 after 3 after 3 fairly regularly.

In the case of the latter, maybe it is just poor luck. However, at a point, when something is a pattern, it has to be acknowledged as a flaw.

On Monday night, the Knicks fell to the Heat, 115-113, in a game Miami shot 40 percent (14 of 35) from 3. It was the second meeting between the teams since Friday, and while New York won last week’s game, it still allowed the Heat to make 43 percent of their 3s (19 of 44). The Knicks just had the firepower from distance, as well, to pull out the win.

Under new coach Mike Brown, New York uses a gap-help defense (the team calls it a “shifting” defense) that is designed to stop ballhandlers from getting into the paint. Based on what it’s designed to do, it is working. Per Second Spectrum, 18.04 percent of opposing team’s touches against the Knicks are in the paint, the lowest frequency in the NBA this season. Conversely, that defense allows the third-highest 3-point frequency in the NBA (45.3 percent), while opponents are shooting 36.9 percent from 3, the second-highest mark in the NBA.

In short, New York is forcing opposing teams to take and make a lot of 3s, and more often than not, they have been.

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“When you look at the top teams, from Oklahoma City and, I think, even Miami, there are a lot of good defensive teams and/or coaches that I respect at a really high level where their teams give up a lot of 3s,” Brown said. “It’s all because we want to protect the paint. We’re no different. Shooting from the paint is a lot easier than shooting from 3.”

Brown, in theory, is correct, and his team has done a good job of executing his wishes. However, teams aren’t converting on 3s against the Thunder and Heat like they are against the Knicks. New York’s 3-point defensive issues haven’t been highlighted as much this season because the Knicks are both a high-volume and efficient 3-point shooting team themselves, unlike last season, and can keep pace with or win the math game on most nights.

Yet, on nights like Monday, when Miami was again able to capitalize from 3 and New York wasn’t, the defensive issues are a bit more glaring.

This is a good example of how the Knicks are able to stop Miami from getting deep into the paint but, in the same breath, give up a warm-up 3-pointer to an OK shooter. Davion Mitchell is able to get past Miles McBride and, because of that, Mikal Bridges has to stop from following Miami’s Pelle Larsson and help cut off the drive. In turn, Larsson is left wide open in the corner as Mitchell delivers a quick, on-target pass. Landry Shamet doesn’t slide to the corner to try to disrupt Larsson because he’s guarding the far more dangerous Norman Powell. Bridges isn’t able to close out in time, and Larsson drills a shot he makes 100 times before the game even starts.

The breakdown started because the Knicks didn’t keep the ball in front of them when Mitchell caught it.

“We have to do a better job of guarding the ball,” Brown said. “We have to do a better job of our shifts and recognizing who we’re shifting off. We have to do a better job with our closeouts. It’s something we’ll continue to work on throughout the course of the year because, in that specific area, we can get better. Now, teams are probably going to shoot a lot of 3s against us because we’re trying to protect the paint but, hopefully, we can get to a point where our closeouts are more impactful, and it starts with guarding the basketball.”
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This clip is where you can talk yourself into the Knicks being unlucky.

By Brown’s book, New York does everything right here (Jordan Clarkson probably could have fought harder to get around the screen so that Shamet doesn’t have to commit as hard). Shamet is guarding Dru Smith, a 33 percent 3-point shooter coming into Monday’s game, and leaves him so that he can shift over and help take away Andrew Wiggins’ drive. Shamet is successful. Wiggins is forced to give the ball up because Shamet shrank the driving lane. Shamet’s shift, though, leaves Smith wide open. He drills a practice-shot 3.

New York would rather have Smith taking a shot from that distance than Wiggins taking a shot at the rim. The recent history suggests Smith is going to miss that shot far more often than he’ll make it, and that is where you can say that New York hasn’t had luck on its side. However, Smith is an NBA player with a clean look at the basket. He shot 41.7 percent from 3 in October (five games). Smith shot well in college from 3. He’s capable, especially when that is the look. Also, if he wanted to, Smith could have very easily made the extra pass to Simone Fontecchio after Bridges’ late closeout, who is a legitimately good 3-point shooter, in the corner.

In the NBA, you have to give up something. Offenses are too good. In this case, New York preferred a Smith 3 to a Wiggins drive. The logic makes sense. It just didn’t work in the Knicks’ favor. The look was too good, and the shooter, while not great, isn’t terrible.

Bridges said the Knicks can do a better job of limiting the 3s from the players they don’t want taking them. That is true and something they haven’t consistently done. But while Smith, surely, is someone New York doesn’t mind shooting 3s, looks this clean can allow almost anyone at this level to get into a rhythm.

“Sometimes, it’s not the amount (of 3s we’re giving up), but who we want shooting those 3s,” Bridges said.
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Here is an example of not limiting a 3 from someone the Knicks don’t want shooting them. From an out-of-bounds play, Fontecchio, who isn’t just the best shooter on the floor but in the game, is able to get a wide-open 3. Bridges isn’t able to get through the screen, and there appears to be a communication breakdown involving Guerschon Yabusele.

In a tightly contested game, allowing Fontecchio to get this type of a look is a recipe for disaster.

“Our communication could be better,” McBride said. “They’re a good cutting team and have a lot of good drivers and they re-space really well. Communication on the guy cutting through … ‘Is he shooter?’ Little stuff like that.”

The Knicks are executing their basic principles defensively. It’s allowed them to keep teams from getting deep into the paint. Yet those teams are taking and making a lot of 3s.

Maybe luck will turn in the Knicks’ favor soon and this won’t be as glaring of an issue. Maybe they’ll get better at communication and guarding the ball. Maybe they’ll find the perfect balance between shifting and contesting.

Whichever ends up happening, New York needs one of those things to take place sooner rather than later.

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martin wrote:Mikal been really good this year

Been playing like a 1st or 2nd team all defensive player. He is so much better when he is defending off the ball and isn't mainly the point of attack defender. Bridges has free safety like instincts...

BigDaddyG wrote:

Uptown wrote:

martin wrote:Mikal been really good this year

Been playing like a 1st or 2nd team all defensive player. He is so much better when he is defending off the ball and isn't mainly the point of attack defender. Bridges has free safety like instincts...

Those 5 picks we gave for Bridges are likely gonna amount to most of the young players OMG the Current Wizards roster. Now ask if I would hesitate trading most of the Wizards roster for Bridges today.

it's not necessarily about what they become, but what else you could have gotten for those 5 picks

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