New York Knicks: 3 Discoveries from first 3 games of season

A new season is upon us and the New York Knicks are looking to be a new team in a few ways.

Thanks to the work done by Leon Rose and the front office, the 2021-22 Knicks have a couple of different faces who joined the squad. Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier are chief among them. By adding those two players as replacements for Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton, the team has embraced a bigger focus on offense.

The Knicks were one of the worst offenses in the league in 2020-21, but they were one of the best on defense. This was despite two big injuries to Mitchell Robinson, who has looked pretty good in all three games this year as the starter. Noel is currently hurt but is expected to be back soon and help continue to be a two-headed paint monster with Robinson.

While the presence of those two centers is unlikely to change, New York’s defense has undoubtedly executed a bit differently so far. Another result of the Walker and Fournier signings, Tom Thibodeau has his guys playing a lot more help defense. Double teams have been extremely encouraged, as players like RJ Barrett have consistently attempted pressuring the on-ball player while still being tasked with flocking back to their own matchup.

As the team tries to establish growth from last year, there have been a few more practices the team’s adopted. Each one can be attributed to the topics that have just been briefly discussed. Here are 3 of the most distinct changes I have discovered after watching the Knicks’ first three games.