Monday night in Brooklyn, the Knicks picked up their tenth win of the season. What have we learned after sixteen games of data?
First, depending on the venue, the Knicks are very _Jekyll-and-Hyde-y_. At Madison Square Garden, they are a juggernaut with an 8–1 record at home includes blowout wins over Boston, Brooklyn, Minnesota, and Washington. With the Garden faithful at their backs and a bellyful of home cooking, the offense opens up, the pace gains a step, and the stars put up big nights without too much armpit perspiration.
On the road, Jekyll rears his gnarly head. New York is 1–5 away from home, with the lone victory coming in Dallas in a game they squeaked out with a last-second offensive foul call. Losses at Miami, Chicago, and Orlando all looked mostly the same: slow starts, shaky shooting, too many turnovers, and draggy defense. Our heroes sure seem to struggle with their focus away from their Manhattan confines.
Another concerning pattern is how often the Knicks play to the level of competition. They blew out Milwaukee and Boston yet dropped two cringey losses to Orlando. They beat Miami once and lost two at Kaseya Center. They shredded the Nets in one meeting, then needed a grind-it-out first half in the rematch before taking control. Consistency remains the dividing line between being _good_ and _great_. (If you’re a _Thibs-truther_, this must be delicious _schadenfreude_.)
Offensively, the team is anchored by its frontline talent. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns form the core of a mostly efficient attack. New York sits at 120.3 points per game and ranks third in offensive rating. They take over forty threes per game, convert them at a respectable 37% (13th in the league), and dominate the offensive glass (14 per game, third in the league). Even with Mitchell Robinson’s intermittent availability, Towns, Hart, Bridges, and the wings maintain the rebounding advantage that has become a Knicks signature.
Towns has been particularly steady on one end of the floor. He is averaging 22.6 points and 12.4 rebounds while shooting well inside the arc and getting to the line with regularity. As of my birthday (today!), he’s shooting a career-low 34% from downtown, and the good (nay, great!) news is that surely won’t continue for much longer. Karl’s 27% usage rate fits comfortably within Coach Mike Brown’s intentions for distribution. Defensively . . . okay, Karl’s a sieve, but those concerns diminish when OG Anunoby is around to mop up (which he isn’t, currently).
Brunson remains the team’s _ride-or-die_ focal point and continues to pair high usage with strong efficiency. Captain Clutch leads the team in usage at 31.5% and still holds a 60% True Shooting percentage. As the team’s top playmaker, he creates a large share of the team’s assists, drives half-court possessions, and is often the deciding force in close games. Brunson iso-ball can still be the best option when the game is on the line.
After a hit-or-miss first season in orange and blue, Mikal Bridges has become the stabilizer the Knicks hoped he would be. He is scoring efficiently, shooting 42% from three, and providing secondary creation. On defense, he is active and disruptive, taking difficult assignments and helping contain early actions, and he sits behind just Cason Wallace and Dyson Daniels with 2.1 steals per game. His presence, especially important during Anunoby’s absence, gives the Knicks flexibility on both ends.
The season didn’t start out great (blame the finger, back spasms, and bench demotion), but Josh Hart is contributing across the board, mixing rebounding, playmaking, and defensive effort. His defensive rating of 114 sits him squarely within the team’s core group. As a member of the second unit, he is often part of mixed lineups that can struggle, which affects his on-off numbers, but his individual play remains strong.
OG Anunoby’s impact has been clear despite missing time with an ankle sprain. The Knicks have posted a plus 14.9 net rating with him on the floor and an even larger swing in his on-off differential. What’s not to love: he provides efficient scoring, making almost 40% from deep; commits minimal turnovers (1.8 per game); and is the lynchpin of the defense.
Mitchell Robinson’s early-season impact shows up more clearly in the possession-by-possession data. The Knicks are plus 11.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, one of the roster’s strongest on-court figures. Even though Mitch has missed seven games due to load management, when he plays, his presence still stabilizes New York’s defense and rebounding. He commits a fair number of fouls, always has, but he avoids turnovers, dominates at the rim, and his offensive [rebounding blows minds](/knicks-analysis/75507/mitchell-robinsons-offensive-rebounding-numbers-feel-fake-they-arent).
Miles McBride continues to progress as a rotation guard. He is shooting 36% from three on almost six attempts per game, limits turnovers, and giving consistent defensive effort. Recently, he’s missed time for personal reasons and illness. With more consistent availability, he’ll likely carve out a more meaningful role in Mike Brown’s plans.
Tyler Kolek’s numbers point to a composed rookie guard who stays within the offense and avoids mistakes. The Knicks are slightly negative in his minutes but far worse when he sits, suggesting his presence has been stabilizing rather than harmful. He rarely turns the ball over, commits few fouls, and keeps possessions organized, even if he is not creating much offense yet. The data paints the picture of a low-usage connector who already plays with maturity and should trend upward as his role grows.
After that, the roster gets dicey. Jordan Clarkson offers scoring punch but is defensively challenged. Landry Shamet’s shooting has been helpful (we’ll never forget his 36-point night versus Miami), but his on-off numbers aren’t great. Worse, he’ll probably be out for a long time with another shoulder injury. From what I can see of the data, when two or three reserves share the floor, the defensive rating often climbs past 118, and that’s not helping the cause.
Tyler Kolek is coming off one of his best performances and, with Shamet out, he might have more opportunities to get used to NBA play. His benchmate Guerschon Yabusele’s on-court numbers look positive at first glance, with the Knicks showing a plus 9.1 net rating in his limited minutes, but the film tells a more tempered story. He has been slow defensively and still appears to be working his way into NBA conditioning. Offensively, he stays within the structure and avoids major mistakes, but he has not yet provided the consistency or physical presence the team hoped for when he arrived.
New York’s young bigs and developmental wings remain long-term projects. Mohamed Diawara, Ariel Hukporti, Trey Jemison, and Pacome Dadiet all have steep learning curves and that’s reflected in their on-court numbers. This crew is for _emergency use only_, which is a shame because we’ve seen flashes of talent from each.
Altogether, the team has a strong, reliable core. Brunson, Bridges, Towns, Anunoby, Hart, and Robinson form a foundation that can compete with nearly anyone in the East. Brown’s next steps have to focus on improving lineup balance, tightening their rotation, and smoothing out the inconsistency that has defined these first 16 games. With healthier personnel and more stable bench minutes, the tools are there to contend at the top of the East.
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