The defensive weakness thats emerging as a potential Knicks problem

Jalen Brunson sees a need for improvement.Josh Hart is not as concerned. There have been plenty of positives eight games into the season and into Mike Brown’s Knicks tenure.

One of the biggest has been their 3-point transformation. But it’s how they defend 3-pointers on the other end of the floor that is their biggest weakness.It has not overly hurt them this year, but it is certainly something that can emerge as a problem. “We have to close out better, obviously,” Brunson said after Knicks practice Friday.

“I think we’re doing a decent job of being there for each other in the gaps.If we’re there in the gaps even better, there’s not gonna be lanes to drive, there’s not gonna be rotations, there’s not gonna be closeouts.

Being able to contain the ball better is definitely gonna help our group on defense.We gotta stick to our technique and get better at it and obviously limit the disadvantages on defense.” Knicks opponents are averaging 15.9 made 3-pointers per game and shooting 40.6 percent from behind the arc.

Entering Friday, both were second most in the league, behind the Clippers and Nets, respectively. Despite blowing out the Timberwolves on Wednesday, the Knicks allowed them to shoot 47.5 percent (19-for-40) from deep, the highest mark against the Knicks this year. “Teams are making shots,” Hart said Friday.“It’s the NBA, man.

It goes in flows.We’ve played eight games, the next eight games we could have the best 3-point defense.

It might not be because our defense is great, but just because some teams miss shots.As long as we’re flying around defensively, contesting shots, doing all we can, then we’re gonna live with the outcome, no matter what that outcome is.” With significant investment in top-level defenders in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Mitchell Robinson, fans often wonder why the unit as a whole has been closer to average than elite the past two years.

The reason largely stems from 3-point defense. A...