In the 116-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Enes Kanter did not play for the New York Knicks due to back spasms. As the Knicks are currently 10-8 with the eighth-best record in the Eastern Conference, losing to the second-worst team in the league is a setback to the new culture they are trying to establish.

Although Kanter did not play, he was very emotional about the team's loss according to Steve Popper of North Jersey:

“I’m just in the locker room crying like a little baby,” Kanter said. “It’s just tough man, especially games like this. If you’re thinking about the playoffs, you cannot lose. So if you’re looking for who to blame, you guys can blame me. I’ll take the blame tonight because I was just here like a little baby trying to get my back right.”

As the seventh-year center takes blame for the loss, he ultimately needs to be patient:

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“So it’s tough to see my teammates battling, fighting, in a war, and I’m just here like a crybaby. It’s tough, man. I cannot accept it. It’s not me. So I’m definitely going to take it day-by-day. I just don’t want to hurt my team for the long run because they said if I play tonight they said I cannot play for another three or four weeks. That’s why I didn’t want to hurt my team. But I’ll take the blame for tonight.”

Throughout his career, Kanter has shown how much he cares for his teammates. While he could have helped the Knicks defeat the Hawks, his long-term health is the most important. Through 17 games, Kanter is averaging 13.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in just 26.2 minutes.

With the Knicks facing a back-to-back situation, it is unclear if Kanter will play against the Houston Rockets.