Knicks Shouldn't Panic After Loss to Magic

Mike Brown's Offense is Not Ball Dominant

If this situation occurred last season, yes I would say the Knicks should hit the panic button this early. Under former head coach Tom Thibodeau the Knicks offense was more centered around Brunson and his isolation shot creation. Potentially losing a player of that caliber in a system centered around him and only him, it would be trouble.

Unlike Thibodeau, Mike Brown's offense is heavily dependent on moving the ball, players moving off-ball and shooting the three at will. Yes, the thoughts of Brunson missing time will hurt the team. Any team losing their best player will impact the overall play on the court.

In their loss to the Magic, the Knicks offense only dished out 20 assists as a team. During their winning streak the Knicks were in the top of the league in assists per game. Following the loss, the Knicks currently sit at 11th in the league with 27.3 assists per game.

The moment the Knicks stop sharing the ball like they have in previous games, the Knicks lose. Sometimes it could be that simple. Bad games will happen, but it is up to the mindset of the team to overcome it. This Knicks team, with Brown's leadership will do just that. Especially with one of the best starting lineups in the league.

KAT, OG and Mikal

The Knicks still have three guys capable of getting a bucket when the team needs it most. The New York Knicks wing duo of Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are currently playing at an all-star level. Head coach Mike Brown is even on record saying "Anunoby is an all-star."

Anunoby is averaging 17 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 48.3% from the field and 39.7% from three. While Bridges is averaging 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game on 52 percent from the field and a whopping 45 percent from three. The two lockdown wings are tremendous off-ball scorers, hustle for second chance points and are capable of taking their defender downhill to score in the paint.

With OG and Mikal off to a stellar start to the season, it could be easy to forget the Knicks have a five-time all-star and three-time All-NBA team member still on their roster. Karl-Anthony Towns has been off to a superb start to the season, although he is struggling shooting at an efficient clip. Whle still averaging a double double, KAT is shooting 42.9% from the field and 32.7% from three.

With the possibility of Brunson being sidelined, this is the time for KAT to remind everyone in the league that at one point he was a franchise player. The Knicks have a roster in which their fourth best player on the roster is better than most teams' second or third best players. Whether it is OG or Mikal, that goes to show truly how deep the Knicks are pertaining to their starting five.

With the talent on the Knicks roster combined with Brown's impressive offensive system, the team can have anyone catch fire on any given night. That is the beauty of having an offense that is not ball dominant driven and having three players capable of leading the team without their superstar.