Can defense and hustle make up for Knicks' shooting woes?
Raptors guard Kyle Lowry waits for a pass in front of Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) during the second half of a game on Dec. 31, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. Credit: AP/Chris O'Meara
Since training camp began, Tom Thibodeau has preached to the Knicks that if they go about things the right way — defending and playing hard — they can overcome nights when the shots aren’t falling.
But even in his most fevered dreams, Thibodeau likely never pictured a night like the final hours of 2020.
The Knicks' starters missed all 23 of their three-point attempts and the team went 3-for-36 from outside the arc in a 100-83 loss to the Raptors in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday night. It was the most attempts by a starting unit without making one in NBA history.
The problem for Thibodeau: The reality might be that the Knicks are closer to that historic low than they are to the league-leading 45.9% rate they shot from three-point range in the first four games.
So the question for Thibodeau and the Knicks might be this: Can they defend well enough and hustle hard enough to overcome the shooting woes?
"You always think you can do better," Thibodeau said after the loss. "They didn’t shoot a great percentage. You hold a team like that to 100 points, you should have a shot to win it. If we would have made some of our threes, we probably would have had a good chance to win it.
"Our defense is something that we have to continue to work on. Containment on the ball, ball pressure. We’re not perfect. I think if we put forth the effort, we fly around, put pressure on the ball and our weak side is aware, we can cover up from mistakes."
It didn’t help that the Knicks were missing Frank Ntilikina, their best perimeter defender. But with some of the team’s offensive weapons returning, Thibodeau has decisions to make about whether to focus on offense or defense right now.
Austin Rivers made his Knicks debut on Thursday. Immanuel Quickley and Alec Burks could be back by the time the Knicks take the court again in Indiana on Saturday. Ntilikina has been ruled out.
Even on a night when they shot so poorly, the Knicks trailed by only seven points entering the fourth quarter. What they can’t do is play at less than full effort — flying around the court defensively, as Thibodeau said. When the shots didn’t fall and the Raptors began to stretch their lead, shoulders slumped and wide-open paths to the basket appeared.
"We’re one of these teams, there’s not an off night when you play the Knicks. That’s the mindset we’re trying to establish here,'' Rivers said before the game. "I know makes and misses can waver, but your effort can’t. That’s kind of what Thibs has instilled in this team.
"I think it’s the whole ambience of everything Thibs has come with . . . I think there’s been a new life and a new energy here with the team, and it’s really early, so we’ve got a lot of work to do. But wins, losses, makes, misses, that’s part of the game. But our effort and the way we play and approach the game and not making it easy on our opponents is something we try to instill here, and Thibs, obviously being the head of that, has done that. I think it’s been a difference because that’s what he demands. There’s no other option. You don’t play hard, you don’t play. That’s just what it is with him."
Notes & quotes: The Knicks remained in Tampa overnight on New Year’s Eve and, after a film session, flew to Indiana on Friday afternoon. Dennis Smith Jr. joined the team in Tampa but is expected to be out longer with a quadriceps contusion.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
