Knicks are 19th in Crunch Time net rating this season. 12th in offense. 22nd in defense. What jumps out is they are dead last in AST%, meaning everything is ISO in close games. Only works when we have Brunson to score 1on1 in those situations.
by Nykmarc
8 Comments
That is definitely 100% on the head coach
Step up from last year where we were by far dead last in net rating in the clutch, but had the highest AST% in the league in the clutch
Seems like Thibs is content with letting JB or Randle take over the game at the end of close ones. A strategy that’ll work only as long as JB is a top 5 iso player in the league.
i just wish that we had an offensive coordinator, with thibs as the head coach and defensive coordinator. he’s great at what he’s good at, but strategy on offense is not a strength.
Yea this won’t cut it come playoff time
12th in offense in crutch time when we have no superstar is not bad. We are ahead of teams with MVP candidates such as the the Cavs, Mavs, Warriors, 76ers and Bucks. Look around the league everyone isos the last couple of possessions since the defense locks in and you want to limit passing and the chance for a turnover. Also an iso shot usually allows your team to get back and set up on defense.
The real takeaway is why is our defense so bad in the clutch, when we have been locking down opposing teams all game?
We have a closer. Brunson should get the ball often and guys should get out of the way. I think the way to get some easier assisted FGs is too push the ball to try and get spots up on the secondary break etc. The game slows at the end for everyone but we really slow it too a crawl. I am not sure why the defensive falls off so much. Any ideas?
The real issues are our FT shooting, defense and lack of experience. I can respect Thibs conservative approach to late game situations because we are usually the team ahead and we just need stops and FTs to ice the game.
I have no problem putting the game in the hands of our best players in the clutch. Y’all putting a lot of stock in ball movement when our team has young players that will make mistakes when the pressure is on.
We’ve seen Grimes have brain farts in close games.
We’ve seen McBride miss key FTs.
I’d rather let Brunson close things out because he makes the right play 9 times outta 10. Randle is our best player and if he gets a mismatch, he should be allowed to exploit it. Everyone else needs to focus on defense, hitting timely shots, and not making mental mistakes.
What’s the difference between the bottom and top assist %?