Knicks Biggest Weakness Remains on One Side of the Ball

The New York Knicks' 17-7 record makes for one of the most advantageous positions in the NBA. Especially out east, a conference sorely lacking in highly-competitive teams to seriously challenge the Knicks and their aspirations of topping last year's deep playoff run, their strengths have been much more obvious than their weaknesses.

Still, there are levels to this championship hunt, and the Knicks still have a half-dozen more losses than the Oklahoma City Thunder and their near-unthinkable 24-1 mark through two months. They're coming as close to perfecting basketball as any team ever has, holding their competitors in such a convincing chokehold that even ESPN's insiders struggled to come up with one clear weakness to critique.

The Knicks are good, but they're not that. Jalen Brunson is New York's star guard to counter the reigning regular season and Finals MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and he's backed by a fleet of role players and secondary scorers capable of posting one of the superior offenses in the league, but their defense has left some to be desired even if we're not comparing them to the gold standard in Oklahoma City.

Comparing Shortcomings

Even if ESPN gave the historic franchise its flowers in rewarding the Knicks with the No. 5 ranking in their most recent roundup, Vincent Goodwill didn't hold back in his concerns with New York's defense.

"Defense will always be a cause of concern with this roster, as stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns don't specialize on that end of the floor," he wrote. "New York has been better as an overall unit since Josh Hart has found his mojo, as winning eight of nine games -- including Tuesday's Cup quarterfinal in Toronto -- has the Knicks feeling like the Knicks again. If Mitchell Robinson plays more minutes, that will alleviate the pressure on two-way wings OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to make every play."

New York Knicks Center Mitchell Robinson — Dec 7, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) grabs a rebound from Orlando Magic guards Desmond Bane (3) and Jalen Suggs (4) in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Robinson's brittle body more or less shuts the door on his matching, let alone approaching, Towns' minute-load, as new head coach Mike Brown learned amidst his attempt to start the two centers together. That's where Hart's come in handy as an effort-driven stopper to shore up the perimeter platoon, but he can't physically compare to the physical behemoth that is Robinson.

New York's defensive rating of 113.2 points allowed per 100 possessions is just good enough for the Knicks to squeeze into the league's top-10, and any of the ground that they've got left to close until any fan is convinced that they're stopping is championship-worthy can be attributed almost directly to Brunson and Towns. The rest of their other starting options can strap up on both ends of the floor, setting up the front office for the sort of issue that the team can only try building around in continuing their push forward.

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