There is a perception that Kemba Walker is the primary player responsible for the New York Knicks’ defensive issues this season. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News pointed out on November 11th that the team was getting outscored by 66 points when Walker was on the floor.
Bondy proceeded to state that these statistics were vastly different from his backup, as the team was outscoring opponents by 95 points when Derrick Rose was on the floor. Although these statistics are true, they are misleading because the Knicks’ defensive issues are more related to awareness than anything.
Let’s take a look at why the New York Knicks’ defensive issues go far beyond starting point guard Kemba Walker. There are a lot more factors at play than just his lackluster defense.
Kemba Walker is not to blame for the defensive issues of the New York Knicks
New York has developed a habit of leaving their defensive assignments wide open. For instance, this was seen when Milwaukee Bucks’ star, Jrue Holiday, dribbled the ball up the court earlier in the third quarter of a road game against the Knicks.
Holiday’s original defender during that possession was supposed to be RJ Barrett. However, Barrett stopped paying attention to Holiday once he got to the three-point line, because Holiday passed the ball to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
When Holiday passed the ball to Antetokounmpo, Barrett started to pay attention to the ball-handler, leaving Holiday wide-open behind the three-point line. Barrett’s decision to pay attention to Antetokounmpo contributed to him passing the ball back to Holiday, allowing him to shoot and make a wide-open three.
This isn’t the only time that the New York Knicks left a player wide-open during a defensive possession, as later in the third quarter of that same game, they had a similar experience. Bobby Portis grabbed an offensive rebound and established post position on the right block against Obi Toppin.
Upon establishing post position, Derrick Rose came over to help Toppin defend Bobby Portis. Consequently, Rose left his defensive assignment, Grayson Allen, wide-open on the right-wing. Portis decided to pass the ball to Allen, allowing him to shoot and make a three-pointer to end the possession.
New York’s habit of leaving opposing players wide-open is the main contributor to their defensive struggles. The team has given up 6.3 uncontested shots per game in the first quarter, where Walker averages 8 minutes per game.
If Walker was responsible for the defensive issues, one would assume that the uncontested shots would decrease in the second quarter as he plays 6.4 minutes during that quarter. Unfortunately, that is not the case, as the team gives up 7.2 uncontested shots during the second quarter when Walker is on the bench.
The primary difference between both quarters is that opponents are making more of their uncontested shots during the first quarter. They are currently shooting 45 percent, a 6.9 percent increase from the second quarter.
Consequently, those statistics could quickly shift, depending on if the opposing team goes into a cold streak in the first quarter and get hot in the second quarter. If the Knicks want to improve their defensive performance, they need to have better situational awareness.
For example, Rose shouldn’t have helped Toppin with the Portis as their multiple players around the basket. Consequently, Portis would have passed the ball or taken a mid-range jumper. More importantly, Rose would have been closer to Allen, potentially taking him away as an option for Portis.
In conclusion, blaming Kemba Walker for the defensive issues is unfair, as their defensive problems are related to their overall awareness. It’s unfair to blame only one player.