Can the Knicks Flip the Switch, or is it Too Late?

We will find out who these Knicks really are.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts during the second half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks appear to be having an identity crisis in the first round of the 2025-26 NBA playoffs.

The Knicks won 53 games this season, the ninth-most in franchise history. They had 27 wins against teams over .500—the only squads with more were the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Pistons and Boston Celtics. It was hard to call them pretenders despite the highs and lows being so noticeably extreme.

There was the NBA Cup Championship win over San Antonio and three different winning streaks of at least seven games. There was a low of nine losses in eleven games. There were a handful of no-shows and hiccups against the dregs of the league in Chicago, Sacramento, Dallas and Indiana.

Fans expected this team to flip the switch, turn it on, and begin a dominant run right through the playoffs after going through the motions during the 82-game grind. But it seems all the flaws that we saw during the Jekyll-And-Hyde regular season are bubbling to the surface against the Atlanta Hawks.

Can the Knicks get back on track before it's too late? Or are they past the point of no return?

The Knicks didn't always make things look easy

There were lingering doubts about whether the core was good enough to go the distance and if coach Mike Brown is a championship-caliber head man. There were grumblings about Jalen Brunson's ball-dominant nature and questions once again about him being the top dog for a champion.

Knicks fans raised concerns about the usage of Karl-Anthony Towns within the offense. The continuing disappearing acts from Mikal Bridges were alarming. Despite shooting 41.3% from long range, Josh Hart's shooting was always a hot-button topic.

The coach, Brunson and Bridges have been the main three culprits as to why the Knicks are down 2-1 instead of up 3-0. Towns hasn't been optimized enough, and Hart is 1-for-10 on shots from long distance. There's lots of familiar blame to go around.

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) talks with head coach Mike Brown against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The priority of any head coach is to put their players, particularly their best players, in a position to succeed. Brown deserves a lot of criticism for questionable rotation and minutes choices. All of a sudden, he's going against data and what he’s done all season.

During the three opening games with Atlanta, the Knicks have attempted an NBA-high 40 shots with four seconds or less on the shot clock. That starts with the captain, who could be more consistent with his floor game and efficiency, which took a notable dip after twisting his ankle in the middle of January.

Brunson's True-Shooting % during the past 35 games is in the 55% range, which is a sizeable drop from the 60-ish % number he's scored at over the past three years. Since the first quarter of Game 1, he's 22-60 from the field with 16 assists compared to eight turnovers. The diminutive guard has been a liability defensively, and his offense hasn’t been good enough to make up for it.

Brunson hasn't been good enough as a scorer, passer or defender

Meanwhile, there were plenty of spurts during the season where Bridges was not aggressive or engaged enough. The man deemed worth five first-round picks notched 20 or more points just 16 times and scored in the single digits 13 times. The iron-man constantly avoided contact and rarely drove to the rim, averaging a measly 1.2 free throws per game.

Thursday night was an embarrassing low for the stretchy six-foot-six swingman. Bridges became the first player with zero points, at least four turnovers, and minus-26 plus/minus rating or worse in a playoff game since the 1996-97 season when tracking began. Since the second half-time of Game 2, he has zero points, one rebound, two assists and is minus-37 in 41 minutes.

For those who think Towns is at fault for the disappointing playoff start, you're mistaken. The seven-foot big man is averaging 21.3 points and 11.0 rebounds while slashing .568/.500/1.000. The problem is we're not seeing enough of him.

In 34 game two minutes, the Knicks were plus-22 with Towns. In the 14 minutes without him on the floor, New York was minus-23.

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The six-time NBA All-Star needs to play more and needs more than the 12.3 shots per game he's averaging. Towns has had issues throughout the year commanding the ball in Brown's new offensive system. He and Brunson seemed to find some of the best chemistry they’ve had since pairing up last year during the last days of the season. That's quickly faded.

The contrast between the Knicks at their best and at their worst is glaring. Some might say the writing was always on the wall, but there's still time to write the last chapter.

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