Basketball Prospectus Talks About The Knicks

[Erick Blasco]

 

 

It seems to us that the Knicks have found (relative) success of late because D'Antoni has rejected the frenetic pace of the Suns' years and is focusing on defense. Do the stats back that up? Is this a more efficient team now?

Yeah, they do, and, yeah, they are. Prior to and including November 29, at which point the Knicks were 3–14, New York was averaging about 94.4 possessions per game. Since then they've gone 14–10 and averaged 89.7 possessions. The former tempo (94.4) is about the pace this year's Suns have played at, the third fastest in the league. The latter tempo (89.7) is the same as the L.A. Clippers, who rank 21st. So it's been quite a slow-down, especially by D'Antoni's standards. The offense has improved by 3.6 per 100 possessions, while the defense is 7.4 points better. Definitely more efficient, and to a startling degree.

 

Is there any player or two that has affected the defense and the possession efficiency the most? Is Chris Duhon playing slower? That is to say: How have the individuals been affected by the collective?

Jared Jeffries has been the catalyst to the defensive improvement. He's currently getting almost twice as much court time as he was back in November and, for the season, the Knicks are a little over seven points per 100 possessions better on defense with Jeffries on the floor. Conversely, Larry Hughes has gone from 30-plus minutes a night to barely seeing the floor. Because D'Antoni began to distribute minutes based more on defensive prowess, his ability to run his full-bore offensive assault has been diminished. Astute as he is, he hasn't forced the issue.

 

We're pretty obsessed with Nate Robinson, good and bad. Is he as bad as a defender as people say? What's his ideal place? It seems like he's ideal for a Suns-type team, but not this one, unless they need that late-game scoring push.

I don't really think of Robinson as having an ideal team because his role is going to be the same no matter where he goes. That is, he comes off the bench to score points, gamble in the passing lanes and just generally give an energy lift to the team. He can do that for the Knicks as well as anybody else. On defense, his on-ball indicators aren't bad at all, but the Knicks do allow more points per possession when he's in the game. To me, he's a weapon when he comes off the bench and his shot is falling — a net gain no matter how you evaluate his defense. Of course, he can shoot you out of a game, as well, so you have to know when to limit his minutes.

 

 

 

Read more: Checking Back In With Basketball Prospectus on the Knicks -- The Sports Section http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2010/01/checking_back_in_with_basketba.html#ixzz0dNGPVN4t