Four Knicks Names Blamed For Slump as Finger-Pointing Begins

The New York Knicks have dropped four games in a row, and fans and commentators have begun pointing fingers at potential culprits for this slump.

Of course head coach Mike Brown is taking plenty of heat for the string of losses, but individual players and staff are being dragged for their contributions to a seemingly-nebulous problem winning basketball games. Per Brown himself, no one person is to blame.

“It’s a combination of both [on the coaches and the players],” Brown said, h/t The New York Post's Stefan Bondy. “We have to make sure as a staff we continue to try to put them as a group in the right position for them to have success based on who is on the floor."

Mikal Bridges

The defense is the main point of contention for the Knicks in this tough stretch, and the NBA's most reliable body is not holding his own on defense lately. Bridges' backcourt shortcomings are beginning to stand out as he also fails to put up a fight offensively, staying under the 20-point mark over the Knicks' last eight games.

"OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Mitchell Robinson are supposed to pick up the slack," Bondy wrote. "Too often, they’re not doing it. That’s especially true for Bridges, whose opportunities as the point-of-attack defender aren’t leading to enough stops."

"But that’s also not new. We saw Bridges falter defensively in the last regular season under Thibodeau, when the Knicks finished with the 13th-ranked defense. It was better than this campaign, not by much."

Karl-Anthony Towns

In the Knicks' latest loss to the Detroit Pistons, Towns put up just six points and gave up six turnovers in his 23 minutes. KAT is expected to co-star with Jalen Brunson, and on the season has been successful, but his inconsistency is starting to show, and even he acknowledged it after the Detroit game.

In his breakdown, The Post's Mike Vaccaro praised Towns' strong season overall, but lamented the nights when he doesn't show up.

"But, man, his lows can give you the bends," Vaccaro wrote. "And the two lowest lows have come on perhaps the two worst occasions. He was gobsmacked by Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee on Oct. 28, outscored 37-8 and generally manhandled at a time when the Giannis-to-the-Knicks pipe dream was still fresh in people’s minds."

Brendan O'Connor

Brown's defensive coordinator, Brendan O'Connor, is certainly fielding some blame lately, as his role is so clearly defined and the issues on defense are so obvious. O'Connor is a new addition to the team, joining them over the summer from the LA Clippers, but brings a wealth of experience, making the emerging issue mysterious.

The Knicks' defense is currently 17th in the NBA.

Josh Hart

The argument here stems from the idea that Hart may not be the best player on the Knicks, but he may be a glue that holds the team together, and that glue has an ankle injury right now. The Knicks have struggled in his absence, and his (hopefully) imminent return might also mean a return to form. If he does reappear in their upcoming Clippers game, Hart's value to the cohesion of the team should be crystal clear.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!