Metta World Peace Says The Knicks Have A Chance To Be A Top Defensive Team This Season

The Knicks’ spread-the-floor offense was one of the best last season, but after the first couple weeks of games, their rigorous defense under coach Mike Woodson, faltered. They went on to claim the No. 3 seed in the East, but their porous execution on the defensive end helped Indiana eliminate them in the second round. Now, summer acquisition Metta World Peace says the Knicks have a chance to become one of the best defensive teams in the league. While a nice goal, the optimism is hooey, and most preseason stats can attest.

Metta and Woodson, as well as Iman Shumpert, spoke with the New York Times‘ Scott Cacciola about New York’s attempt to improve on last season’s 17th ranked defense, at least in terms efficiency (points allowed per possession). Cacciola lists all the empirical evidence from preseason synergy stats that point to another season where New York will get slaughtered by opposing offensive strikes:

In the preseason, according to Synergy Sports, the Knicks ranked among the league’s worst teams in a truckload of categories that measure defensive performance. Over all, they allowed .946 points per possession, which ranked 29th out of 30 teams. They were last in defending halfcourt sets (.929), post-ups (1.069) and shots coming off screens (1.25). By comparison, they looked like the 1986 Boston Celtics against isolations, limiting opponents to .984 points per possession, which ranked 26th.

We’re not sure that last example was a bit of irony, but their isolation defense is pretty bad, too. Woodson was realistic in his assessment of the team’s defense, saying, “We’re not where I want us to be.”

But Shumpert was more optimistic, telling Cacciola, “We know we’ve got to pick it up, and that’s going to come with communication. But we’ll get it done.”

However, it was World Peace that took the cake with his hyperbole. Not only does he mention how athletic and talented the Knicks are, but he tells the Times, “We’ve got a chance to be one of the better defensive teams in the league.”

The Knicks face the Bucks tonight in their home opener at MSG. They could stifle a depleted Bucks squad, but we think Metta is wrong when he says the Knicks have a chance to be one of the better defensive teams in the league. They haven’t shown it in the past with this group, and they certainly didn’t show it in preseason. We’ll see if he’s clairvoyant, but all objective signs point to another trying season for Knicks fans as their sieve-like defense routinely takes away from an electrifying offense.

[New York Times]

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