The New York Knicks are no longer the feel-good story they were last year. They're the owners of an 11-12 record following a gigantic home loss to the Denver Nuggets. Shaking up the rotation by replacing Kemba Walker with Alec Burks in the starting lineup hasn't been enough to get the Knicks back on track.
New York head coach Tom Thibodeau explained that there could be further changes to his lineups and rotations should the Knicks continue to flounder.
Tom Thibodeau says the Knicks could change scheme and/or rotation again, based on the team's intensity and execution: pic.twitter.com/VmfmlJScEf
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 4, 2021
Thibodeau identifies intensity and execution as key indicators of the Knicks' performance. New York showed both of those things last year but have been nearly the opposite this year. The defensive identity isn't the same and their offense, despite making several additions to fix it, is less efficient than last year in terms of offensive rating.
Even New York's centerpiece, Julius Randle, admitted that the team has to start playing better. Randle hasn't been as impactful as he was last season, as his stats are down across the board. RJ Barrett, his co-star, has been in a slump as well. Key free-agent signings Walker and Evan Fournier have woefully underperformed so far. With a 6-10 record following a strong October, there is plenty of improvements to be made in Madison Square Garden.
With the way New York is playing right now, Thibodeau will have plenty more changes to make. The Knicks' next chance to get right is on Tuesday when they travel to Texas to face the San Antonio Spurs.
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