The Knicks have played one game, and already the panic button is getting hammered. That’s what happens when a fan base gets a little too emotionally attached to October basketball. Still, even if some of the reaction is loud, there were real issues on Tuesday that deserve attention.
The biggest one sits right at the top of the lineup. Jalen Brunson had a rough night shooting the ball, and that was enough for some to wonder whether he’s back to being a ball hog or whether he can’t handle the 76ers’ defenders.
But this was just a poor outing from the captain, nothing more. He saw different coverages, didn’t quite look like himself, and missed several shots he usually buries.
Those are the kinds of looks the Knicks want him taking. He should be fine.
OG Anunoby’s night went sideways too. He had been one of the brighter Knicks in the preseason, but this one was ugly, as he finished 3-12 from the field.
For anyone hoping he’d launch into an All-Star-level season right out of the gate, it was about as rough a start as he could have had. But he also got stuck taking difficult shots and never really found a rhythm, especially with Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble and unable to feed him on cuts.
Like Brunson, he should recover.
The more serious worries are Towns and Mikal Bridges. Towns was terrific when he was actually on the floor, scoring efficiently and holding up defensively.
The problem was that he only lasted 24 minutes because of foul trouble. That was an issue last season too, and Knicks fans know the feeling.
Nobody wanted that to show up again this quickly, but it did.
Bridges, meanwhile, was the quieter disappointment. Some fans thought that after winning a championship, he might finally play with the freedom and aggression that showed up in stretches of the postseason, without the baggage of being the player New York paid such a steep price to acquire.
That still could happen. But in this game, he was hard to find.
It wasn’t just the scoring drought - it was the hesitation, the disappearing act, the same frustration that popped up too often over the last two regular seasons.
New York doesn’t need all five starters firing every night. It does, though, need at least one wing to give steady production on a regular basis. With Anunoby struggling, Bridges not looking assertive was a fair reason for concern.
The bench had its own mixed bag. Jose Alvarado was solid for most of the night, and Andre Drummond delivered one of the more memorable debut halves any Knicks reserve has had.
But the cracks were there too. Landry Shamet and Deuce McBride combining for 2-7 from three and 3-12 overall won’t be the norm, but when that happens, the second unit can look thin fast.
It becomes a group leaning on defense and hustle without much shooting or creation to fall back on.
Transition defense was another issue, and Mike Brown’s team looked stuck in the mud for long stretches. The 76ers were quicker, more athletic, and more committed to pushing the pace, and New York was often a step behind.
That didn’t come out of nowhere. The Knicks dealt with that kind of problem at times last season before tightening things up in the postseason.
That’s the other reason there’s no need to go full meltdown after one loss. The defense, even with Tyrese Maxey looking impossible to slow down, was good enough overall.
The offense was the bigger culprit, and a lot of that came down to missed shots. If Brunson, Anunoby, Shamet, and McBride hit the looks they normally convert, and Towns stays on the floor, this group can score a lot.
That’s why the final score matters in context. Even with Brunson, Anunoby, Bridges, Shamet, and McBride shooting a combined 14-51, Towns limited to 24 minutes, and New York committing three more turnovers than the 76ers, the Knicks still lost by just six.
That’s not nothing. It also explains why this team probably won’t cruise through the regular season the way some defending champions have.
There will be nights like this. But that doesn’t mean the Knicks are suddenly broken.
Their flaws from last season are still here, and so are their strengths.
The real issue worth watching is the starting lineup. Each player should be able to settle in, and some of this could be cleaned up by Friday.
But there’s enough evidence now to say this group has a slow-start problem, and that’s the one thing that should raise an eyebrow early on. They were good enough to win a championship despite it, but against a stronger Eastern Conference, it’s the clearest reason to keep an eye on them.
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