The New York Knicks dropped to 6-6 on Friday with a 106-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers, falling into a tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference alongside the Miami Heat. The defeat extended an uneven opening stretch for the defending champions, whose championship hangover appears to be real, with frustration replacing the celebratory atmosphere at Madison Square Garden.
Josh Hart, who was held scoreless against Indiana, was blunt when asked what is wrong. "Wish I could tell you," Hart said. "Don't know. Right now I'm not in a good headspace, and I got to figure out how to improve that and improve my play."
A key strength during last season's title run was the rotation of two-way wings around Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. This season, however, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Hart are all shooting below 40% from the field and below 33% from three-point range. That is a dramatic drop from a year ago, when all three finished above 48% from the field and 37% from long distance. Aside from Landry Shamet, who has been a needed bright spot, the wing rotation has been stuck in the mud offensively.
The cold shooting has shifted an even heavier burden onto Brunson and Towns. Towns has been sensational, averaging 21.1 points and 13.7 rebounds per game on 54.2/40.0/77.0 shooting splits while moving back into a full-time center role following the departure of Mitchell Robinson. Brunson has been his typically excellent self, averaging 26.6 points and 5.7 assists per game, though his efficiency has dipped to 43.6% from the field.
Brunson's three-point accuracy has held firm at 37.5%, but he is converting just 55.8% of his attempts inside three feet, a rate that would be the worst rim finishing mark of his career. The decline appears to be a byproduct of defenses collapsing into the paint without the threat of spacing from the wings around him.
The combined effect has left New York's offense 29th in the NBA in share of points scored in the paint at 35.5%. A year ago the Knicks generated 41.4% of their points in the paint. Coach Mike Brown's system is predicated on launching threes, but the six-percentage-point drop-off in paint scoring is significant given how poorly the team is shooting from deep as a group.
Hart's comments have also raised questions about how a tight-knit championship team soured so quickly, with some pointing to the top of the organization. Owner James Dolan proclaimed his refusal to cross the second apron to keep the team together almost as soon as the title celebration began, and he stayed true to his word when Robinson left for the rival Boston Celtics. Extension talks with Towns, who had signaled a desire to stay in New York at a hometown discount, fell apart when the Knicks asked him to take an even bigger pay cut. A week before the season began, the team publicly announced it would no longer discuss extensions with anyone on the roster.
Hart is among the extension-eligible players, but unlike Towns, who can decline a player option and reach free agency, his $22.3 million option for next year is a team option. New York could simply pick it up and push discussions about a new deal into next summer. Some players thrive under contract-year pressure, while others feel the anxiety of an unstable future, and Hart, whose impact often goes beyond the box score, may be feeling that more than most.
After winning their first title in more than 50 years, the Knicks faced a choice: lock up the core and keep the good vibes rolling, or play hardball and use the championship as leverage to squeeze players for discounts. With the team sitting at .500 and searching for answers, fans are left to wonder whether that second path is at the root of the uneven start to the title defense.
