3 weaknesses of the New York Knicks that could be used against them in the 2021-22 NBA season
The New York Knicks are on course to turn things around following a series of woeful performances in the NBA this century.
The two-time champions have largely failed to replicate their exceptional performances of the 1970s. But ending a seven-year postseason absence is a step in the right direction for the Knicks. However, their continued success in the East, considering the caliber of players on other teams' rosters, is not always guaranteed.
Nevertheless, one cannot take away from the effort made by the New York Knicks to reach this stage. Following a series of mediocre performances, Tom Thibodeau at the helm has been an instant success in only one year with the franchise.
“They aren’t going to threaten the East’s upper crust, but with the backcourt upgrades and the young-ish roster, enough of what happened last year should carry over to comfortably return them to the playoffs.”
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Thibodeau took an average New York Knicks team without a superstar, and led them to a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference standings last season. But the question on the lips of every Knicks fan is if he can bring a championship home for the first time since 1973. Their last attempt to do so ended in a first-round exit against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks earlier this year.
A strong defensive identity and a successful 2021 offseason show should keep the New York Knicks in good stead ahead of the 2021-22 season. Nevertheless, there are areas of weakness that opposing teams could exploit.
On that note, here are three weaknesses of the New York Knicks heading into the 2021-22 season.
#1 The New York Knicks do not have enough presence in the paint
Defensively, the New York Knicks are solid. Nerlens Noel was their standout player, leading the league in defensive box plus/minus. He was third in defensive win shares, behind Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert.
Nerlens Noel’s defense is world class 💯 https://t.co/QurtaBu6Hm
While they are solid defensively with Gibson coming off the bench, the same cannot be said for the New York Knicks at the offensive end of the court. They were the third-best team shooting three balls last season, but struggled to convert from close range.
The New York Knicks were the fourth-worst team in the league from close range, converting only 63% of field-goal attempts 0-3 feet from the basket. The percentages continued to improve as they got closer to the three-point line, though.
In terms of grabbing rebounds, the New York Knicks ranked 16th in offensive rebounding. Robinson had the highest tally in that regard, averaging 3.6 offensive rebounds per game despite featuring in only 31 games.
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