Knicks players & coaches frustrated with KAT's defense

[Billl]

KAT's defense always has been and always will be a problem. That's just what you get.

The bigger problem was that he wasn't a dominant offensive player. He was good, but there were just too many sections of games where he wasn't making teams pay. Compared to the regular season, his scoring was down 3pppg, total shooting down 3% and 3pt down 7%. Still good numbers across the board, but you need your stars to shine in the playoffs

[oldncreaky]

I still maintain Achiuwa could have helped the Knicks.

Switchable defense and rebounding. Hell use him to guard Hali on the way up the court so others didn't have to.

It would have been worth trying, for sure. Siakam was killing any Knick other than OG, and he feasted on any of the other 4 Knicks if/when they switched on to him. Precious would have helped with that.

But there's good Precious, who focuses on what he can do well like guarding, and bad Precious, who wants to do too much and is a major liability whenever he tries to dribble or even make any moderately difficult pass. Which version would the Knicks have gotten? Hard to know.

The Knicks needed the offence of both KAT and Brunson to compete, but couldn't cover the mistakes when both were on the floor. I don't think they had the roster pieces to address that core issue.

[VINO 24]

He literally saved this **** team a game and kept them in. Without his barreling, they lose. Lucky they beat Boston. Garbage team

[Lalouie]

he's deceptively fat

it's like all his quick twitch neurons is stored in his offense

I honestly don’t know how the dude plays in NYC and his conditioning isn’t a point of discussion.

I know he’s obviously nowhere near Luka level, but that’s on everyone’s tongue anytime Luka is discussed. Guy looks thick, and not in a good way.

7'0/250-..he should be slimmer. ad weighs more. Turner is roughly the same as Kat but Kat looks 30lbs overweight and moves like it

[Lalouie]

He literally saved this **** team a game and kept them in. Without his barreling, they lose. Lucky they beat Boston. Garbage team

they lost anyway

[VINO 24]

He literally saved this **** team a game and kept them in. Without his barreling, they lose. Lucky they beat Boston. Garbage team

they lost anyway

Meant to say sweep or 5. They have multitude of problems than his defense

[tsherkin]

Solid player, but with limitations. Nothing new here, just a larger stage and audience than in Minny. *shrug*

[Lockdown504090]

he's deceptively fat

it's like all his quick twitch neurons is stored in his offense

I honestly don’t know how the dude plays in NYC and his conditioning isn’t a point of discussion.

I know he’s obviously nowhere near Luka level, but that’s on everyone’s tongue anytime Luka is discussed. Guy looks thick, and not in a good way.

7'0/250-..he should be slimmer. ad weighs more. Turner is roughly the same as Kat but Kat looks 30lbs overweight and moves like it

its so wild to me that he hasnt improved his nimbleness(if thats a word) and agaility. guys like lopez, gasol, embiid, robin lopez can play a drop and take better angles than towns. its crazy. the decision making, the technique, like I hope new york media is enough to get him in the lab on this stuff, its all fixable.

[Lalouie]

He literally saved this **** team a game and kept them in. Without his barreling, they lose. Lucky they beat Boston. Garbage team

they lost anyway

Meant to say sweep or 5. They have multitude of problems than his defense

this is why I'm not a supporter of the "if not for him" defense of a player's game. the knicks lost. it's incongruous to me because he ultimately didn't matter.

it's more apropos to say he wasn't enough or nyk needs more. it puts his "contribution" in perspective

[bisme37]

A few days ago we were talking about how the Knicks defense was good with KAT on the floor. CCS made a thread with stats and whatnot: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2460720

Historically he's been a solid defender when playing the 4, but much worse when playing the 5. Which is probably why Minny paid so much to pair him with Gobert.

Ideally you want him on the court with a defensive center, but it's hard to find defensive centers who don't hurt you on the offensive end.

KAT's defense would really improve if he stopped fouling so damn much, and just stayed consistently focused. But he's never going to be an elite defensive anchor.

That said this report is pretty rude imo.

[koogiking]

KAT played well, Brunsons game became one dimensional and other players as well. KAT was our best player

[jokeboy86]

KAT's defense always has been and always will be a problem. That's just what you get.

The bigger problem was that he wasn't a dominant offensive player. He was good, but there were just too many sections of games where he wasn't making teams pay. Compared to the regular season, his scoring was down 3pppg, total shooting down 3% and 3pt down 7%. Still good numbers across the board, but you need your stars to shine in the playoffs

Kat's fundamentals(like Giannis) offensively have always been out of whack and this goes back to his lone year at Kentucky. But also like Giannis the reason he's always gotten away with it is because of his size and pre-injuries his crazy athleticism. Nothing about his movements is very fluid at all. It doesn't help that since he's such a good 3pt shooter that as he starts to lose more of his athleticism he'll probably just shoot more 3's. I also don't think he likes to play big and back to the basket more often and more exclusively because he doesn't seem as if he really has a solid base(check the skinny legs). I don't know if he's worried that if he adds more muscle that it'll slow him down therefore affecting his patented long stride drives or what.

[CS707]

Uber talented but inherently lazy.

NY should have known that going in.

[GiannisAnte34]

This all just means incoming Giannis three way trade for Kat + stuff.

The Bucks have no interest in trading Giannis unless it's a massive overpay. He wants to stay here and we'd rather have him than accept some play-in package

[uncleoswald]

Sincere question for anyone who can answer it: why does this stuff come out after the season and not during it?

seems fairly obvious to avoid an unnecessary distraction while the season is still going on

On whose part; the team or the reporter?

In other words, is the Athletic holding off on this story until after the season ends, or are the Knicks just so tight-lipped that this doesn’t leak?

If it’s the former and not the latter, I have major beef.

[DaPessimist]

The Knicks problem is that their 2 best players are both defensive liabilities. If they're taking turns on offense, the math isn't going to add up.

[jaymo123]

Ahh, so the beginning of the hit pieces to justify the trade of Towns this summer.

[Lalouie]

well i mean, did kat just offer nyk some placebo bandaid fix off 5 or 6 yrs of julius randle and nyk wanted to move on?

the knicks are just 1win better than last year when they battled the celts and bucks for the top3(they were #2)...this year they were #3 with a worse celts and cavs(no bucks)

there's no STARK difference twixt last year and this year is there? they still need a #2 just like last year
and indy beat nyk last year in 7 not 6

and randle is cheaper

i think all this chatter about kat is "unrest" just like last year. zero has changed

[Raps in 4]

well i mean, did kat just offer nyk some placebo bandaid fix off 5 or 6 yrs of julius randle and nyk wanted to move on?

the knicks are just 1win better than last year when they battled the celts and bucks for the top3(they were #2)...this year they were #3 with a worse celts and cavs(no bucks)

there's no STARK difference twixt last year and this year is there? they still need a #2 just like last year
and indy beat nyk last year in 7 not 6

and randle is cheaper

i think all this chatter about kat is "unrest" just like last year. zero has changed

KAT and Randle are in the same tier and have similar limitations (low IQ, bad defence). I think the hope was that KAT and Randle would be better fits on their new teams (and in Minny's case, they were trying to save money too).

[PushDaRock]

Sincere question for anyone who can answer it: why does this stuff come out after the season and not during it?

seems fairly obvious to avoid an unnecessary distraction while the season is still going on

On whose part; the team or the reporter?

In other words, is the Athletic holding off on this story until after the season ends, or are the Knicks just so tight-lipped that this doesn’t leak?

If it’s the former and not the latter, I have major beef.

Again, seems fairly obvious which side would have that incentive