KnixinSix wrote:TheGreenArrow wrote:?s=46&t=W09F6FrMDfp5_y1gKYgF1g
Kat is the franchise Folksssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Knicks figure out how to CONSISTENTLY defend in the 5 out system its game over for the league. But I don't know if we are there yet. The insde the paint this year has been so much softer. Can we do it 'well enough' to succeed kinda like Celts have without a true Center with KP out?
Do we still really need a rim protector to play significant minutes to mitigate teams that gash us inside? Is it just Thibs making the eventual adjustments successfully? Is he a one trick Pony who will struggle coaching any other system consistently but his drop system? Because we all know when he has an elite rim protector combined with some guys who are good at closing out on the 3 his system is PROVEN elite (3 of last 4 years sans the Kemba/Fournier starter year).
All huge questions that need to be answered.
KAT at the 5 is what opens up the offense, putting him at the 4 means spacing changes, and sort of takes away from what he is. I would only move him back to the 4 against certain teams like the Sixers, Cavs and Nuggets. The biggest issue with his defense is that he's being asked to do something he's not good at and not being elevated at the thing he is good at - switching.
If we switched a lot more our defense would improve, the team is built to do it and KAT has proof of concept since he played PF last year and had to defend a lot of different players, some of which are wings masquerading as bigs. Just seems like a dumb decision to have a C play in a drop when he's more adept at playing in switches. We have a similar construction to the Rockets, a weak rim protector surrounded by wings who pick up the slack, and they're 7th but they switch more than us.
Also, the thing happening on the low is that it's Josh who is our secondary creator right now and not KAT. Josh is second on the team in touches per game, he's handling the ball a lot more than people would expect, you take him out the lineup for a C and we lose the only bit of pace we have. He pushes the break off defensive rebounds and gets the defense scrambling. I would think Tom is going to start Precious next to KAT, the defense will improve but the offense takes a step back if he's not making the three.
