The New York Knicks are coming off yet another disappointing season that marked the fourth straight year missing the playoffs.
Heading into his second season with the team, head coach Jeff Hornacek is hoping that the Knicks can develop a strong identity with their play on the defensive end of the floor, according to Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders.
Hornacek: “We have to establish an identity, and that identity has to be defense first.”
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) July 17, 2017
Last season, the Knicks ranked 23rd in the league with 108 points allowed per game and were tied for 23rd with 12.4 turnovers forced per game. Their play on this end of the floor has been one of most their persistent issues over the last several seasons that has only grown to be a more prominent problem.
New York had hoped the offseason addition of Joakim Noah, who is a former Defensive Player of the Year, would help them defensively, but he struggled to find a consistent role on the floor in his first year with the team that was also hindered by a knee injury that cut his season short.
If the Knicks hope to see any improvement next season, it will first require them to find a solution to the situation surrounding Carmelo Anthony. Once that is finally resolved, everything else will be able to start falling in place.
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