We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
Moderators: Deeeez Knicks, dakomish23, mpharris36, j4remi, NoLayupRule, GONYK, Jeff Van Gully, HerSports85
We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
- RHODEY
- RealGM
- Posts: 25,334
- And1: 22,835
- Joined: May 18, 2007
- Location: Straight out of a comic book
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
-
ctorres
- RealGM
- Posts: 17,806
- And1: 6,042
- Joined: Jun 04, 2005
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
shoutout to our realgm brother nykmentality
he is in one hell of a twitter beef right now with Channing Frye!
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
- sol537
- RealGM
- Posts: 15,394
- And1: 7,967
- Joined: Nov 07, 2001
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
Mitch is an elite defender. Full stop. It's night and day with him vs. KAT. I actually liked both the minutes with both of them together. Hoping to see more of that.
It also helps that when Mitch is in, it unlocked OG, Bridges, and Deuce to hound the ball handlers and force turnovers because they know someone has their back.
The question becomes... can Mitch have an impact against the top teams (BOS, CLE, OKC)? I would say yes... especially against CLE/OKC if we get that far.
It also helps that when Mitch is in, it unlocked OG, Bridges, and Deuce to hound the ball handlers and force turnovers because they know someone has their back.
The question becomes... can Mitch have an impact against the top teams (BOS, CLE, OKC)? I would say yes... especially against CLE/OKC if we get that far.
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
-
spree2kawhi
- RealGM
- Posts: 12,632
- And1: 5,758
- Joined: Mar 01, 2005
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
Ib4t“I’ve always been saying towns is great but his defense at the 5“
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
-
Spree2Houston
- Head Coach
- Posts: 7,425
- And1: 8,845
- Joined: Feb 21, 2015
-
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
- thebuzzardman
- RealGM
- Posts: 82,258
- And1: 96,221
- Joined: Jun 24, 2006
- Location: Villanovknicks
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
Knicks just slowing down the pace. Mitch hasn't fixed anything. Discuss.

Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
- DOT
- Retired Mod

- Posts: 31,572
- And1: 61,532
- Joined: Nov 25, 2016
-
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
Our D rating when Mitch is on the court is 108.9
Since he's gotten back, our D rating with him off the court is 107.0
Since he's gotten back, our D rating with him off the court is 107.0
BaF Lakers:
Nikola Topic/Kasparas Jakucionis
VJ Edgecombe/Jrue Holiday
Shaedon Sharpe/Cedric Coward
Kyle Filipowski/Collin Murray-Boyles
Alex Sarr/Clint Capela
Bench: Malcolm Brogdon/Hansen Yang/Rocco Zikarsky/RJ Luis Jr.
Nikola Topic/Kasparas Jakucionis
VJ Edgecombe/Jrue Holiday
Shaedon Sharpe/Cedric Coward
Kyle Filipowski/Collin Murray-Boyles
Alex Sarr/Clint Capela
Bench: Malcolm Brogdon/Hansen Yang/Rocco Zikarsky/RJ Luis Jr.
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
- K_ick_God
- Site Admin

- Posts: 80,879
- And1: 43,336
- Joined: Oct 10, 2003
-
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
He was like -10 last night
It may be more about cohesion and JB being out
It may be more about cohesion and JB being out
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
- Context
- RealGM
- Posts: 32,708
- And1: 22,045
- Joined: Jul 06, 2005
- Location: where the Gods dwell! shhhhhhh
-
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
sol537 wrote:Mitch is an elite defender. Full stop. It's night and day with him vs. KAT. I actually liked both the minutes with both of them together. Hoping to see more of that.
It also helps that when Mitch is in, it unlocked OG, Bridges, and Deuce to hound the ball handlers and force turnovers because they know someone has their back.
The question becomes... can Mitch have an impact against the top teams (BOS, CLE, OKC)? I would say yes... especially against CLE/OKC if we get that far.
Mitch has only played in 5 games. Just wait until game 15. We will be #1 in Def rating.
This is another point some of us made. This team at the very least (because of thibs) needs Mitch to have a chance at beating any of those top teams.

Luka | Scotty |Dunn
Bane | Pritchard | Branham
Watson | Jmac | *
AD | Jaylin | Clarke
Chet | Edey | Neemias
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
-
Polk377
- General Manager
- Posts: 9,518
- And1: 5,916
- Joined: Apr 19, 2002
- Location: Medford, NY
-
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
To be honest, it has more to do with Brunson being out and having Duece in the starting lineup. They can't exploit our 2 weak defenders anymore with the pick and roll.
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
- RHODEY
- RealGM
- Posts: 25,334
- And1: 22,835
- Joined: May 18, 2007
- Location: Straight out of a comic book
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
Polk377 wrote:To be honest, it has more to do with Brunson being out and having Duece in the starting lineup. They can't exploit our 2 weak defenders anymore with the pick and roll.

Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
-
Polk377
- General Manager
- Posts: 9,518
- And1: 5,916
- Joined: Apr 19, 2002
- Location: Medford, NY
-
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
RHODEY wrote:Polk377 wrote:To be honest, it has more to do with Brunson being out and having Duece in the starting lineup. They can't exploit our 2 weak defenders anymore with the pick and roll.
Exactly what I am implicating
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
- K_ick_God
- Site Admin

- Posts: 80,879
- And1: 43,336
- Joined: Oct 10, 2003
-
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
Not sure. I think his defense is often bad but I guess numbers don’t lie and hope I’m wrong!
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
-
KOA
- Lead Assistant
- Posts: 5,027
- And1: 1,107
- Joined: Jan 31, 2005
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
KnicksGod wrote:Not sure. I think his defense is often bad but I guess numbers don’t lie and hope I’m wrong!
Curious what makes you think his defense is bad?
He's had a ton of deflections with many leading to turnovers and fast breaks. He also puts pressure on opposing bigs when they are holding the ball on screens.
Don't get me wrong, he still has a ways to go to improve his timing on contesting shots and avoiding ticky tacky foul calls, but the core skill-set is there.
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
-
Luv those Knicks
- Retired Mod

- Posts: 59,639
- And1: 5,936
- Joined: Jul 21, 2001
- Location: East of West and West of East.
- Contact:
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
DOT wrote:Our D rating when Mitch is on the court is 108.9
Since he's gotten back, our D rating with him off the court is 107.0
Party pooper.
. . .
I kid.
I wonder how much that improved rating has to do with Brunson missing games? Inquiring minds want to know.
God invented war so Americans would learn geography.
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
-
KnixinSix
- Head Coach
- Posts: 7,188
- And1: 3,871
- Joined: Jul 27, 2013
- Location: In the Spirit
-
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
Context wrote:sol537 wrote:Mitch is an elite defender. Full stop. It's night and day with him vs. KAT. I actually liked both the minutes with both of them together. Hoping to see more of that.
It also helps that when Mitch is in, it unlocked OG, Bridges, and Deuce to hound the ball handlers and force turnovers because they know someone has their back.
The question becomes... can Mitch have an impact against the top teams (BOS, CLE, OKC)? I would say yes... especially against CLE/OKC if we get that far.
Mitch has only played in 5 games. Just wait until game 15. We will be #1 in Def rating.
This is another point some of us made. This team at the very least (because of thibs) needs Mitch to have a chance at beating any of those top teams.
Mitch doesn't even fully have his timing and rythym back yet.
This team most definitely still have untapped defensive upside and uptapped ability to play even better together. With Mitchell Robinson back Thibs is out of excuses . Cavs and Celts are damn good teams but we should be right there with them if Thibs maximizes the teams skillset and doesn't overwork the starters.
New reality of Son ship!
All who receive and believe in Jesus, given the right to become children of God. Not born of flesh, but born of Spirit. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Glory that came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
-John 1
All who receive and believe in Jesus, given the right to become children of God. Not born of flesh, but born of Spirit. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Glory that came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
-John 1
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
- NoDopeOnSundays
- RealGM
- Posts: 27,384
- And1: 56,974
- Joined: Nov 22, 2005
-
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
Luv those Knicks wrote:DOT wrote:Our D rating when Mitch is on the court is 108.9
Since he's gotten back, our D rating with him off the court is 107.0
Party pooper.
. . .
I kid.
I wonder how much that improved rating has to do with Brunson missing games? Inquiring minds want to know.
The best DRTG among rotational players since Feb 28th is Deuce, he's at 99.5 DRTG. The starting 5 since Brunson has gone out has been -
Deuce - 105.2
Josh - 103.7
MIkal - 105.1
KAT - 107.9
OG - 109.0
It boils down to Deuce being among the best PoA defenders in the NBA, with Brunson out it takes Hart/Mikal off defending the ball as much, which is why it was so confusing to see Hart on Scoot so much yesterday. Also, Landry Shamet has been excellent on defense, pretty much all season and he should be playing a lot more, Wright should get minutes too because he's another guy that the defensive stats love.
The elephant in the room though is that the offense has been absolutely dreadful even before Brunson went out, we were 26th in the league offensively from Feb 28th to the point Brunson went out, and are 28th in the league post ASB. The Nets have a slightly better offense than us since the ASB. We cannot find balance.
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
-
HopelessKnick
- Analyst
- Posts: 3,293
- And1: 3,002
- Joined: Aug 03, 2021
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
I think I wrote in 30+ posts that we can't rate the defense because we have played all games without a real rim protector and I literally said Mitch alone would punch us into the top 8. So no surprise here. And keep in mind his minutes and impact have been limited...I say he is at 70% right now (at most). If Mitch can stay healthy it changes the outlook of this team entirely. I know I know Gigantic IF.
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
- MrDollarBills
- RealGM
- Posts: 77,542
- And1: 54,381
- Joined: Feb 15, 2008
-
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
NoDopeOnSundays wrote:Luv those Knicks wrote:DOT wrote:Our D rating when Mitch is on the court is 108.9
Since he's gotten back, our D rating with him off the court is 107.0
Party pooper.
. . .
I kid.
I wonder how much that improved rating has to do with Brunson missing games? Inquiring minds want to know.
The best DRTG among rotational players since Feb 28th is Deuce, he's at 99.5 DRTG. The starting 5 since Brunson has gone out has been -
Deuce - 105.2
Josh - 103.7
MIkal - 105.1
KAT - 107.9
OG - 109.0
It boils down to Deuce being among the best PoA defenders in the NBA, with Brunson out it takes Hart/Mikal off defending the ball as much, which is why it was so confusing to see Hart on Scoot so much yesterday. Also, Landry Shamet has been excellent on defense, pretty much all season and he should be playing a lot more, Wright should get minutes too because he's another guy that the defensive stats love.
The elephant in the room though is that the offense has been absolutely dreadful even before Brunson went out, we were 26th in the league offensively from Feb 28th to the point Brunson went out, and are 28th in the league post ASB. The Nets have a slightly better offense than us since the ASB. We cannot find balance.
Kinda crazy how a line up with Brunson/KAT/Bridges/Anunoby can struggle offensively like this and it doesn't help that even before Brunson went out, teams are just daring Josh to shoot which kills spacing.
Please consider donating blood: https://www.nybc.org/
2025-2026 Indiana Pacers
C: J. Valanciunas/C. Castleton
PF: K. Kuzma/J. Robinson-Earl
SF: T. Evbuomwan/J. Howard
SG: T. Hardaway Jr./C. Williams
PG: C. Payne/J. Springer
2025-2026 Indiana Pacers
C: J. Valanciunas/C. Castleton
PF: K. Kuzma/J. Robinson-Earl
SF: T. Evbuomwan/J. Howard
SG: T. Hardaway Jr./C. Williams
PG: C. Payne/J. Springer
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
-
HopelessKnick
- Analyst
- Posts: 3,293
- And1: 3,002
- Joined: Aug 03, 2021
Re: We are #2 in Defensive Rating since Mitch returned
MrDollarBills wrote:NoDopeOnSundays wrote:Luv those Knicks wrote:
Party pooper.
. . .
I kid.
I wonder how much that improved rating has to do with Brunson missing games? Inquiring minds want to know.
The best DRTG among rotational players since Feb 28th is Deuce, he's at 99.5 DRTG. The starting 5 since Brunson has gone out has been -
Deuce - 105.2
Josh - 103.7
MIkal - 105.1
KAT - 107.9
OG - 109.0
It boils down to Deuce being among the best PoA defenders in the NBA, with Brunson out it takes Hart/Mikal off defending the ball as much, which is why it was so confusing to see Hart on Scoot so much yesterday. Also, Landry Shamet has been excellent on defense, pretty much all season and he should be playing a lot more, Wright should get minutes too because he's another guy that the defensive stats love.
The elephant in the room though is that the offense has been absolutely dreadful even before Brunson went out, we were 26th in the league offensively from Feb 28th to the point Brunson went out, and are 28th in the league post ASB. The Nets have a slightly better offense than us since the ASB. We cannot find balance.
Kinda crazy how a line up with Brunson/KAT/Bridges/Anunoby can struggle offensively like this and it doesn't help that even before Brunson went out, teams are just daring Josh to shoot which kills spacing.
I think essentially Bridges has been extremely inconsistent from 3 and Hart has fallen off a cliff from 3....so at times you have 2 extremely reluctant shooters from 3. I think that may explain some of the difficulties....












