The New York Knicks looked like they had turned a corner earlier this season. After capturing the NBA Cup with a win over the San Antonio Spurs and riding high on a 22-8 record, they were starting to resemble a team with real championship aspirations.
It wasn’t just the stars leading the charge-role players were stepping up, the bench was contributing, and the chemistry was clicking. But as quickly as the momentum built, it came to a grinding halt.
Since the end of December, the Knicks have hit a rough patch, dropping nine of their last eleven games. The slide reached a boiling point with a four-game losing streak, finally snapped on Wednesday night with a much-needed win over the Brooklyn Nets. But as Jalen Brunson made clear after the game, one win doesn’t fix everything.
Brunson Steps Up, Sends a Message
For the first 30 games of the season, Brunson was playing like a man on a mission-and frankly, an MVP-caliber one. Averaging 29.4 points and 6.6 assists, he was doing more than just leading the Knicks; he was carrying them.
The team’s 22-8 start was no fluke, and Brunson was at the center of it all. But when the wheels started to come off, all eyes turned to him again-not just to produce, but to steady the ship.
After Wednesday’s win, Brunson was candid about what it took to get back on track.
“We just had to refocus and get back to who we are,” he said. “This is good stuff for us, but we got to continue to press the issue of getting better every single day.”
That win over the Nets was the team’s first victory in nearly 10 days, dating back to a January 11th road win against Portland. It’s been even longer since they strung together consecutive wins-back at the tail end of 2025, when they beat the Pelicans and Hawks in back-to-back games. That kind of consistency has been missing, and Brunson knows it’s going to take more than just points and flashy box scores to find it again.
“Just sticking together, talking it through, having each other’s backs, worrying about the little things on the court,” Brunson said. “Not just the stats and all the other stuff, but the stuff that doesn’t make the stat sheet. The stuff that actually makes a difference in a close game, and that can break teams.”
That’s the kind of leadership you want from your floor general. Brunson isn’t just talking about effort-he’s talking about intangibles. Communication, hustle plays, defensive rotations, boxing out, setting hard screens-those are the things that don’t show up in the numbers but win you games in April, May, and maybe even June.
The Knicks’ Recent Struggles: More Than Just a Slump
During their recent skid, the Knicks didn’t just lose-they got outplayed. Losses to the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks weren’t just about poor shooting nights or bad bounces.
They were about a team that looked disconnected, mentally flat, and vulnerable against opponents they were expected to beat. That’s a red flag for any team, let alone one with postseason ambitions.
There’s no sugarcoating it: the Knicks haven’t looked like themselves. Whether it’s fatigue, injuries, or just a midseason lull, they’ve been a step slow on both ends of the floor.
Defensive rotations have been late. Offensive rhythm has been choppy.
And the energy that defined their early-season run has been noticeably absent.
What’s Next: A Chance to Reset
The good news? There’s still time to right the ship, and the schedule offers some opportunities to do just that.
Next up: a road matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that already handed the Knicks a loss earlier this season. It’s a tough test, no doubt-but it’s also a chance to make a statement.
A win in Philly could go a long way toward restoring confidence and reestablishing the identity that made the Knicks so dangerous just a month ago. It’s not just about getting back in the win column-it’s about proving they can respond to adversity like a contender should.
The Knicks have the talent. They have the depth.
And in Jalen Brunson, they have a leader who understands what it takes to grind through the rough patches. Now it’s about execution, resilience, and rediscovering the edge that made them NBA Cup champions.
The road back won’t be easy-but it’s far from over.