Y'all coming up w/ all of these lengthy explanations
. This team just simply doesn't defend. It's really that simple. While our offense can improve, it hasn't been THAT bad. The problem is, you can't score 100 points & give up 115.
Knicks defensive drop-off from last season to this season is more of a result of Kristaps Porzingis than anything else.
Last season
Porzingis averaged 28.4 minutes per game 7.3 rebounds 1.9 blocks .7 steals 2.8 personal fouls
Def Rating 103.6
In just his first year in the league, Porzingis cracked the Top 10 in blocks and the Top 20 in defensive field goal percentage at the rim.
Overall, Porzingis held opponents to 41.7 percent shooting from the field on 13.4 field goal attempts faced per game. That’s a decline of 4.9 percent from his opponents’ average field goal percentage.
That’s just a small sample of what Porzingis brings to the table on the defensive end of the floor. He’s just as capable of stepping out to defend the perimeter—opponents shot 30.5 percent against Porzingis on 3-point field goals—as he is intimidating in the paint.
This season
Porzingis is averaging 30.8 minutes per game 6.3 rebounds 1.3 blocks .6 steals 4.0 personal fouls
Def Rating 112
And while I couldn't find any information on his opponent shooting numbers, the simple eye test can tell us that he has been getting lit up by everybody that he's attempted to guard this season and I can imagine that his opponent shooting numbers are much higher than they were last year.
Now lets look at Joakim Noah and Robin Lopez
Last year Lopez
27.1 minutes per game 7.3 Rebounds 1.6 blocks .2 steals 2.2 fouls
Defensive Rating 107
This year Noah
24.6 minutes per game 8.8 rebounds .8 blocks 1.0 steals 2.7 fouls
Defensive Rating 107