In a 112-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau benched his starters for the entire fourth quarter. He also had some harsh remarks about his team's ability to improve chemistry over time, per ESPN:

“You know what they say: When it's 10 games, they say you need 20,” Thibodeau said. “When you say 20, they say you need 30; at 30, you say 40.

“And before you know it, the season is over. So that's a bunch of bulls—.”

The starting lineup of Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson has been struggling to work cohesively as one unit. Though they have played together more than any other starting group in the entire league, Knicks starters have struggled to find a defensive identity, being outscored 14.4 points per 100 possessions.

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Additionally, the Knicks have mysteriously been worse at home games rather than in away games. When away, the team is 5-1, but at Madison Square Garden, they are 2-4. With a plethora of issues arising for a Knicks team looking to make it further into the playoffs, Thibodeau has a lot to think about when it comes to structuring his roster.

Thibodeau's criticism seems to be reasonable for a Knicks team lacking defensive minded players who can play together as a whole. They will need to figure it out sooner rather than later if they want be at the top of the Eastern Conference.