Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson drives against New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
The New York Knicks are 3-8 in their last 11 games, one of the worst marks in the NBA during that stretch.
Only the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, and Portland Trailblazers have a worse record in that span. For a team that was able to keep their heads above the water despite numerous injuries to star players, the impact of missing top rotation players is starting to rear its ugly head in New York.
Earlier in the season, the Knicks were priding themselves on doing the small things right: taking care of the ball, controlling the defensive glass, and moving the ball on offense. Over their 11-game skid, New York has lost this identity. They are 20th in the NBA in the last 11 games in offensive rating and 29th in defensive rating and net rating. The complimentary basketball that propelled New York to a 14-2 record in January has disappeared.
Against the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night, the lack of identity played a role once again as the Knicks lost 116-100. Without Jalen Brunson due to a knee contusion he suffered on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks offense was stagnant, shooting 38.4% from the field and 30.8% from three. New York was also outrebounded by double digits against Atlanta, one of the few instances that has happened this year.
While the past 11 games have not looked promising, they continue to keep a strong foothold in the standings. Currently tied for fourth place with the Orlando Magic, only a game and a half separates fourth place and eighth place in the East. This means that while the Knicks built a lot of cushion for themselves in January, nearly all of that progress was wiped away in February due to a plague of injuries.
With 20 games left on the slate for New York, there is plenty of fluctuation that can still…
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