Concerning stats to keep an eye on

Debilitated by injuries to a myriad of key players, New York has tried its hardest to stay competitive but as expected, they’ve started to lose some games. And after Monday night’s gut-wrenching loss against the Houston Rockets, the Knicks are now just 1-4 in their last five games. During their recent five-game stretch, New York has been able to put up some decent numbers, ranking 15th in offensive rating and 15th in rebounds per game. But we’re seeing drop-offs in a few key statistics that are worth keeping an eye on going forward.

With OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, and now Isaiah Hartenstein missing games, it’s not a surprise to see the Knicks’ defense take a step, or two, back. but lately, things have gotten pretty atrocious. On the season, they remain a top ten defensive team, ranking eighth in defensive rating with a rating of 112.7, while holding opponents to a field goal percentage of 47%, but over their last five games, they have a defensive rating of 121.7, which is the fourth worst in the league, while opponents have shot 51.7% from the field, which is the second worst in the league during that span. One reason (outside of the injuries) for the defensive decline could be rooted in their three-point defense. The Knicks weren’t necessarily great at shutting down opposing teams’ three-point shooting even when they were healthy as they rank just 18th in the league in opponent three-point percentage on the season, but over their last five games, they’re now 29th in the league. New York, with some rest over All-Star weekend and some tinkering by Tom Thibodeau and his staff, could make marginal improvements defensively move forward but with two of the three aforementioned defensive anchors out for at least a few more weeks, the Knicks will likely continue to struggle stopping opponents.

That wouldn’t be the most terrifying or concerning thing if it wasn’t for the fact that the Knicks’ offense has also been worsening. Despite ranking 16th in points per game on the season with 114.8PPG, they’re just 21st in the league in points per game over their last five games, averaging just 110 PPG. And much of that has been due to their lack of accuracy from downtown. On the season, New York has a three-point percentage of 36.8%, which is 16th in the league, but have a three-point percentage of just 34.1% over their last five games. The Knicks, largely due to the absence of Randle, have seen their free throw numbers plummet. On the season, they rank 12th in the league with 23.1 free throw attempts per game but are second to last in the league in their last five games, averaging just 16.2 attempts per game.

It’s hard to be optimistic, but if we are to be positive, we can have confidence knowing that the team still largely ranks in the top half of the league in a lot of these categories. If they can get fully healthy at some point, their three-point defense, three-point shooting, and ability to get to the free-throw line should all drastically improve. But until then, these numbers might not change much, which leaves fans with very little hope for the next couple of weeks.