NBA Realities

There is a perception around the league that the New York Knicks’ three-point shooting defense has gotten worse over the past month. Ian Begley of SNY pointed out on January 18th that opponents are shooting 42.6% from behind the arc against New York over the last eight games.

“In their previous eight games, New York allowed opponents to shoot a combined 42.6 percent on threes. On the season, the club ranks 26th in opponent three-point field goal percentage. They’re 29th in opponent field goal percentage on corner threes”.

Knicks: protect the paint

Although Begley’s sentiment is correct, he doesn’t explore the catalyst behind the New York Knicks’ recent defensive struggles. New York’s issues are related to Tom Thibodeau’s defense principles. Tom Thibodeau’s main defensive principle throughout his coaching career has been to protect the paint. 

On April 22nd, 2024, Thibodeau appeared on NBA.com’s Coaches Corner Series. During his appearance, Tom stated that keeping opposing players out of the paint was the top priority of his defensive system.

Tom Thibodeau tries to protect the paint by sending help when an opposing player approaches the elbow. For example, Rob Dillingham dribbled the ball up the floor with 1:16 remaining in the first quarter against the Knicks on January 17th.

Once Dillingham reached the top of the key, he passed the ball to Anthony Edwards, who was coming off a screen that allowed him to move from the right dunker to the wing. Edwards proceeded to take a few steps toward the basket before stopping near the elbow.

Anthony stopped near the elbow because he didn’t have a drive towards the basket. Mikal Bridges was standing in front of him, and Cam Payne started to come over to help Bridges. Edwards decided to retreat towards the three-point line to reset the offense.

Tom Thibodeau’s system has been the catalyst behind the New York Knicks having stellar defensive statistics in the paint. They are holding opponents to 63.2% shooting on 26.7 attempts per game during his tenure, fifth-best in the NBA.

Knicks: three-point shooting

Unfortunately, Thibodeau’s defensive priorities have left the team susceptible to three-point shooting. For example, Edwards had the ball on the right wing with 5:27 remaining in the first quarter. Anthony took several steps toward the basket but slowed down as Bridges, Josh Hart, and Precious Achiuwa surrounded him near the elbow.

Edwards took one step before executing a pass to the left corner to Naz Reid for an open three-pointer. Reid was left open because OG Anunoby had one foot inside the paint as the team’s last line of defense to protect the basket.

Consequently, he could not recover in time to stop Reid. During his tenure, opponents are averaging 36 threes per game against New York, the 13th most in the league. The Knicks will continue to let opponents shoot threes because Thibodeau’s system is designed to give up that particular shot.