Wizards Can Sneak Victory Over Knicks

The 1-5 Washington Wizards are slated to take on the 3-3 New York Knicks in the Garden on Nov. 3rd. Both teams are having underwhelming starts to the season, as the Wizards are coming into this game in the midst of a four game losing streak.

The Knicks, on the other hand, are vastly underperforming their preseason expectations, considering they return a similar roster to the ones they’ve had the last two seasons — both of whom saw playoff success. The Knicks roster is vastly better than Washington's on paper, but if the Wizards can capitalize on the Knicks lack of momentum, then they could sneak out a victory. 

New Coach New Approach 

This past offseason, the Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, replacing him with former head coach of the Sacramento Kings, Mike Brown. Despite Brown being dealt a similar roster to the one Thibodeau had, he has brought a vastly different approach, specifically with how he allocates minutes. Thibodeau is of course infamous for relying on his starting five, playing them nearly the entire game. On the other hand, Brown has brought a far more traditional approach to minutes allocation, giving a solid split to starters and reserves.

Despite a difference in minutes, New York enters games with a similar mindset and playstyle. The majority of their offense runs through the two-man action of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, with the rest of the team finding success playing off of those two. Brunson is one of the most prolific scorers and playmakers in the league today, capable of taking over games in an instant. KAT is too one of the best players in the NBA today. His ability to play inside-out makes him a matchup nightmare for any team. Slowing down this dynamic duo will be at the top of Washington's scouting report.