The start of the NBA season is just around the corner, so teams won’t have that much time to make adjustments.
The preseason is the right time to make mistakes, try new things, and make some tweaks before it actually counts.
But still, it feels like the New York Knicks didn’t end the preseason on a high note, dropping a 25-point contest to the Washington Wizards.
When asked about that, star PG Jalen Brunson admitted that the team isn’t where they hoped to be at this point in the offseason (via Ian Begley).
Jalen Brunson after NYK closes preseason with a 25-pt loss to WAS: “Are we where we want to be right now? No. We expected to be at a better place than we are. Our coach thought that too. He’s sending us a message that he wants us to be better. And we’re going to respond to that.”
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 19, 2023
Notably, Brunson also stated that coach Tom Thibodeau was also disappointed, and he’s urging his players to be better, so they have to respond to that.
The Knicks could only win one of their four preseason games.
Of course, context matters, and the preseason isn’t exactly the right time to sound off the alarms.
Even so, getting into the season with some positive momentum could take a team a long way, especially a team that’s looking to make a statement and prove that they can also compete at a high level.
The Knicks have the personnel to be at least a first-round playoff team, and anything below that should be considered a big failure.
Fortunately for them, they still have more than enough time to right the ship, not to mention a plethora of assets to trade in case a star becomes available.
As for the players, they’ll have to respond to what coach Thibs wants from them, as he won’t hesitate to send them to his doghouse.
