The Knicks lost to the Mavericks Tuesday night, a defeat that might go a long way toward improving their lottery odds but might also give coach Jeff Hornacek one more nudge out the door when the front office sits down and decides what the next step is for the franchise this summer.
The Mavericks, whose owner has said he prefers his team to lose the rest of the year, have been one of the worst teams in the NBA, and they came into Madison Square Garden and scored 110 points on the Knicks on their way to a 13-point win. It was an embarrassing loss for the Knicks, who spare a hot-shooting game from Tim Hardaway Jr. or Michael Beasley, might not win a game the rest of the season.
The Knicks have lost eight straight games and have only won one since Kristaps Porzingis went down with his knee injury on Feb. 6. The struggles, however, go back further than that. They've lost 16 of 17 since Jan. 31 and are just 7-30 since Dec. 21. The Knicks' season is in a freefall, which may help in the future thanks to a better draft pick, but is a poor reflection on their head coach.
Hornacek and veteran leader Courtney Lee both spoke publicly earlier in the week about how the Knicks' effort on defense is not what it should be. It was going to be a test to see if Hornacek could keep his team engaged and playing good basketball without Porzingis. So far he has failed that test.
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He also continues to struggle putting the right lineups on the floor together. Part of defense is effort, but defense is also a skill. There are good defenders and bad defenders in the NBA regardless of effort. Enes Kanter tries and cares, but his lack of length and side-to-side quickness means he will never be a good defender no matter how hard he tries. Ex-Knick Amar'e Stoudemire had the physical ability to defend, but he lacked the instincts to defend well and sometimes looked completely unaware of what was happening around him despite the fact he constantly talked about the important of defense. Emmanuel Mudiay seems to be someone that falls into that category.
Hornacek doesn't seem to understand that no matter how hard he gets his guys to play, lineups featuring Mudiay and Kanter are not going to defend well. Michael Beasley is not going to be a good defensive player. Trey Burke has worked hard to improve on that end, but his lack of size will make it hard for him to ever be an impact defender. If Hornacek wants his team to defend well he needs to play guys like Lance Thomas, Frank Ntilikina, Damyean Dotson and Kyle O'Quinn more. That would have a much larger impact than yelling at them about effort.
If the Knicks go winless in their final 14 games, I would be very surprised if Hornacek is back next season. It isn't his fault the team is where it is, but he doesn't look like a coach who can elevate a team into a deep playoff run once the talent is on the roster. There are too many mistakes when it comes to the small details of lineup construction. I would be surprised if the Knicks front office doesn't see it, too, and makes a chance this summer.
NTILIKINA VS. DENNIS SMITH
We saw Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith match up Tuesday, and Smith's numbers surpassed those of his fellow rookie point guard. He scored 18 points to Ntilikina's four, but it took him 19 shots (and six makes) to do it. Both players showed that they were correctly scouted heading into the draft last year. Smith, whom Dallas drafted one pick after the Knicks took Ntilikina last year, scored in volume but without great efficiency. He wasn't great defensively, and he dished out only two assists despite playing 31 minutes. Ntilikina struggled offensively but had six assists and played his typically strong defense. It has been the same for both guys throughout the season. If you want to look at raw numbers, Smith has the big edge despite shooting under 40 percent from the field and just over 30 percent from 3-point land.
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Ntilikina, however, is nearly as far ahead of Smith on the defensive end as Smith is on the offensive side. The Twitter account @NBA_Math sent out a great stat earlier this week. Ntilikina leads the NBA in points per possession allowed as the primary ballhandler defender in pick-and-rolls this year at .66.
For a 19-year-old rookie to lead the league in that category is insane and shows how good he already is on that end of the floor. For reference, Chris Paul, Victor Oladipo, Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown round out the top five, which is pretty good company. Both Ntilikina and Smith have solid strengths and should turn into good players on this level in very different roles.
#StiZZatZ from latest @HardwoodKnocks, "Jrue Holiday is an Underrated Defender" editionTop PnR Ball-Handler Defenders by PPP (min 150poss):1. Frank Ntilikina: 0.662. Chris Paul: 0.693. Victor Oladipo: 0.694. Jrue Holiday: 0.705. Jaylen Brown: 0.71https://t.co/tBedG69MDt pic.twitter.com/R5kTN3MtwM
— NBA Math (@NBA_Math) March 12, 2018TANK UPDATE
Despite all their losing, the Knicks still trail the Bulls by a half-game for eighth place in the lottery standings. They are two games behind the Mavericks for seventh and three games behind the Nets and Kings, who are tied for fifth and sixth. Sacramento hosts the Heat on Wednesday night, but Thursday is a bigger day. The Knicks host the playoff-bound 76ers while the Bulls have a very winnable game at Memphis, which has lost 18 straight games. It could vault the Knicks into the eighth spot and give them whoever is left from the group of DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III, Mohamed Bamba, Trae Young, Mikal Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Michael Porter Jr. (not to mention Collin Sexton and Wendell Carter Jr.). Not a bad place to be in.
For everything Knicks, Giants, and the world of sports, follow John on Twitter at @Schmeelk
