Defensive issues abound for the New York Knicks. If their second-half performances in recent games against the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers are any indication, they have at least one real solution to explore—so long as they’re willing to risk taking major steps back on offense.
New York turned up the heat in a win over the Clippers with more aggressive coverage, and some incredibly stingy lineups without Jalen Brunson on the floor. The latter is not sustainable. Brunson is an issue on defense, but he’s mission critical to the offense, and not someone Mike Brown has the option of playing less.