The Knicks’ recent road trip out West has been anything but smooth, and Thursday night’s performance against the Kings only added to the turbulence. With Jalen Brunson sidelined due to injury, New York looked disjointed, unfocused, and, by their own admission, lacking the kind of defensive intensity that’s supposed to be a hallmark of this group.
Let’s start with the Kings’ head coach Mike Brown, who didn’t sugarcoat what he saw from his team-or the Knicks. “We didn’t respond.
We didn’t respond at all,” Brown said bluntly after the game. Even before Brunson went down, Brown felt the Knicks were “just going through the motions.”
That’s a damning assessment, especially when you consider how much New York prides itself on effort and grit.
Without Brunson, New York struggled to find its rhythm. Brown noted that Sacramento’s physicality simply outlasted the Knicks’ competitiveness.
“Their level of physicality was there longer than ours,” he said. That’s the kind of detail that doesn’t always show up in the box score, but it matters-especially in a game where the Knicks were expected to lean on their defensive identity.
Josh Hart didn’t hold back either. “Our defense was embarrassing.
Our effort was embarrassing,” he said. That’s a veteran calling it like it is.
Hart’s frustration wasn’t just about one game-it was about a pattern. “The last month we’ve been a terrible defensive team,” he added.
He’s not wrong. The Knicks have been bleeding points lately, and without their floor general in Brunson, the cracks widened.
Hart challenged his teammates to stop making excuses and start taking pride in the defensive end. “At some point we’ve got to stop making excuses.
We’ve got to wake up,” he said. And he’s right.
When the Knicks defend, they run. When they run, they share the ball.
When they share the ball, the offense hums. But all of that starts with defense-and right now, that engine isn’t turning over.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s still adjusting to a new system himself, acknowledged the learning curve. “Different year, different scheme,” he said.
“We’re just still adjusting and getting used to a new system.” That’s the reality for a lot of teams right now-new roles, new expectations, and in Towns’ case, trying to find his place in a shifting offensive landscape.
Towns also spoke about the moment Brunson went down. “We didn’t know what was happening,” he said.
“We came in at halftime understanding, seeing him, we understood what needed to transpire.” But the Knicks didn’t rise to the moment.
Instead, Sacramento seized it.
Brown also took a moment to discuss the play of Landry Shamet, who’s working his way back from injury. “He was in a great rhythm before he got hurt,” Brown said.
“It’s gonna take some time for him to get back.” The Kings are being patient with Shamet, and Brown praised his work ethic, calling him “a worker” who’s clearly committed to the grind.
As for rookie Mohamed Diawara, Brown is keeping expectations in check while still throwing the young forward into the fire. “Sometimes you might throw him out there for 15 minutes, sometimes two,” he explained.
“You just watch and see how he responds.” Diawara, a second-round pick, wasn’t necessarily expected to contribute right away, but Brown likes what he’s seen so far.
“He passed a lot of tests,” he said. “He’s young, he’s growing, he’s learning.”
And then there’s Draymond Green-never one to shy away from a challenge, especially when it comes in the form of a fellow All-Star. Green lit up when asked about facing Towns.
“I do like the matchup,” he said. “It’s an honor to play against a guy like Karl Towns.”
Green, who’s built a career on defensive tenacity and high basketball IQ, clearly relishes these kinds of battles. “That is one guy in the league that brings out the best in me,” he said.
Brown echoed that sentiment when talking about Green’s feel for the game. “He’s extremely intelligent.
His feel for the game is second to none,” Brown said, putting Green in his personal Top-3 for basketball IQ. That’s high praise from a coach who’s seen a lot of elite talent over the years.
The bottom line? The Knicks are at a crossroads.
The effort hasn’t matched the expectations, especially on defense. Brunson’s absence only magnified those issues.
Now, the challenge is simple but daunting: respond. Find the edge again.
Get back to what made this team dangerous in the first place.
They’ll have another shot soon, this time against the Warriors. And as Josh Hart put it, “We’ll see what kind of character we have.”