The Knicks are in strong shape with 20 games to go until the NBA playoffs begin, sitting third in the conference at 40-22 with the third-best offense and fifth-best net rating in the league. They have a real shot at being Eastern Conference champs, but the postseason will expose and exploit their biggest weaknesses, with limited time left to prepare.
In light of the challenges Detroit, Boston, Cleveland and the like are sure to impose, let’s dive into New York’s three largest flaws they’ll need to address between now and the NBA Finals.
Secondary playmaking and shot creation
It’s no secret the Knicks have struggled to break down elite defenses with the ball not in Jalen Brunson’s hands in the past. They’ve tried to address it this year with Mike Brown’s motion offense and the acquisition of Jose Alvarado, to some concrete success.
But this goes beyond finding ways to get two feet in the paint and guys moving, you also need tough shot-makers that can create something from nothing. Folks correctly didn’t fret as much about this last year when Karl-Anthony Towns was having a career season. He’s had his ups and downs offensively in 2025-26, but seems to be on the right trajectory.
New York needs its wings to make plays -- Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby all have unimpressive pick-and-roll, isolation and post-up numbers, plus can be prone to cold streaks from three. They need to actively be moving, screening, and aggressively attacking the defense.
Teams will switch everything, throw tons of pressure at Brunson, and make somebody else beat them. Will that somebody be ready?
Feb 19, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Defensive consistency
The Knicks defense has been everywhere from an elite, top-five threat to the worst in basketball this season. On average, it’s been much closer to the former, but New York can’t let bad tendencies seep back in, as they have little margin for error.
It starts with the wings, Anunoby and Bridges, who can turn a game on their own through sheer defensive impact, or break the entire chain if they aren’t playing up to snuff. Like the rest of the team, they’ve largely been great outside of that catastrophic 2-9 stretch.
You obviously need your anchors, but Brunson and Towns are who opposing offenses love to try and pick on, especially in tandem. Towns has quietly been terrific this year, picking up schemes and defending the paint well.
Brunson has been solid too, once again drawing a ton of charges and generally bringing high effort. But the playoffs are another beast. Both will be called into actions relentlessly, and have to be ready for it.
One error the Knicks can avoid come the postseason is being over-aggressive. They can sometimes get too caught up in closing out or helping, they do it to the point of losing position or going against the scout.
The little contender things
One line Brunson harps on in interviews is doing all the little things required to be a championship team -- and how last year’s squad eventually got there, but this one is in progress. To their credit, they’ve had to install a new offense and many new bench pieces, and still look plenty impressive.
Still, there’s room for improvement. Small issues can hit them at the wrong time and decide a series. For one, they rank 16th in free throw shooting, the easiest looks you’ll get in the postseason.
Mitchell Robinson’s outlier 39 percent clip is definitely dragging the team average down, but that’s no excuse not to sharpen an area of the game that partially cost the Knicks Game 1 of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. They’re also top-10 in fouls, and losing Robinson or Towns to early whistles can leave them shorthanded in a crucial game.
Another area to watch is how Brunson and the team keep their composure with officiating. They've previously allowed erroneous calls to get them out of their element and gameplan chasing the whistle, they can’t afford that in a championship run.
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