One Major Change The Knicks Can Make To Get Easier Shots in Game 4

The Knicks Game 3 performance in Atlanta was one of the worst basketball games I’ve ever had to sit through.

New York shot 35% from the field and 30% from behind the arc which is incredible because it looked like they missed every single shot.

The two main scorers for the Knicks, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, shot a combined 4-for-24 from the field. That’s 16%. That’s shit.

Every shot the Knicks took was a struggle against a Hawks defense that ranked 21st in defensive ranking in the regular season. This team should be getting any shot they want and instead, they look like they’re being locked down by the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.

There’s a reason why Tom Thibodeau ranks in the Top 40 in all-time regular season winning percentage (58.7%) yet has a 42% win percentage in the playoffs. When the games matter most, Thibs has no idea what to do.

It took him 74 games to realize that Elfrid Payton was the worst player in the NBA. It should shock no one that he’s made no offensive adjustments.

But what can the Knicks do to improve their offense?

After watching the Clippers hunt Kristaps Porzingis in Game 3 of their series against the Mavs, it reminded me how infuriating it is that the Knicks let Trae Young (one of the worst on-ball defenders in the NBA) off the hook by allowing him to guard Reggie Bullock—a player who is not a threat off the dribble.

In the current NBA, ‘soft-switching’ has become the norm. Defenders switch with the lightest contact from screens. Instead of fighting through picks, they instantly switch.

Here’s a perfect example of soft-switching from the Nuggets Blazers series:

Thought this was a big time play from Monte Morris. Portland switching to keep everything in front, protect against the movement. Ends up with Kanter switching on to Morris which works if he can keep him in front. He gets beat, Morris with a strong finish. pic.twitter.com/o6FHOX4fm6

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 23, 2021

There was absolutely no reason for the switch here but that’s how defense is played now.

So why isn’t Reggie Bullock setting screens for Derrick Rose or Julius Randle to make Trae Young switch onto them for mismatches?

Thibs is still running the same plays that worked in the regular season.

And they work because you’re playing a team once on a random Wednesday in February and they aren’t game-planning to stop you specifically the way teams do in a playoff series where you play the same team every night.

Stop sitting Bullock in the corner and allowing tiny Trae Young to sit and rest on defense. Take advantage of the mismatch. Wear Trae Young out on defense so he becomes a non-factor on offense.

Get Trae Young onto Julius and when the double team comes, he’ll have no problem seeing over the 5-foot-2 Trae to find a wide-open shooter on the perimeter.

I know you’re reading this Thibs. Fucking CHANGE.

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