The New York Knicks believed their defensive woes through the first month of the season had been long gone after a stretch of 11 wins in 15 games.
Saturday night proved how far the team still needs to go, though.
New York struggled defensively with Karl-Anthony Towns out with a knee injury as they fell 120-111 at home to the Detroit Pistons. Former first-overall pick Cade Cunningham put forth a triple-double, and Detroit as a team shot over 50% from the field.
While Towns' injury is certainly something that could be forgiven for the team last night, Mikal Bridges believes their defensive struggles have a lot to do when things aren't seamless on the offensive end.
"When things don't go well offensively we tend to not talk (on defense)," Bridges said. "It's just something we always fail to do when we struggle on one end of offense. When we get back (on defense), we're not communicating."
Bridges' explanation about why the team has struggled at times is an interesting perspective. If the team's offensive efficiency is such a huge point of emphasis, then this entire defensive standard comes down to one thing.
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"I think communication was the biggest thing. A lot (of poor communication) in transition… And it's not like a thing that we don't like each other or anything. It's just that sense of urgency," Bridges added. "We've got to understand that when we don't talk to each other, it's going to hurt us."
Towns' return to the lineup should certainly help a Knicks team whose defensive NET rating is in the top 10 in the league. Until that happens, though, New York will have their defensive struggles on full blast moving forward.
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This story was originally published December 8, 2024, 3:37 PM.