New York Knicks Need Sustained Effort Defensively Says Jeff Hornacek

New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek is hoping the team can bring sustained effort defensively.

The New York Knicks put forth an embarrassing effort against the Orlando Magic on Monday night, losing 115-103. It was the fifth consecutive loss for the Knicks, who are surrendering 113.8 points per game during the losing streak. On the season they are one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, giving up 108.5 point per game; that ranks 25th in the NBA.

Defense has been a problem for the Knicks all season, and head coach Jeff Hornacek is getting tired of it. Hornacek wants his players to put forth consistent effort on that end of the court, and believes that the coaching staff, including himself, needs to put the players in better position to succeed.

"“If we’re asking a certain guy to pick up at half court, we have to know, is he capable of doing that?” Hornacek said Tuesday. “We might have three guys on the team or four guys that can do that, and the rest of them might not be able to. So we’ve got to put them in those positions that they’re capable of [handling]. We’ve got to figure out how as a team, what we’re going to do that lends to everybody’s capabilities.”"

Following the loss to the Magic, Hornacek was very critical of the team’s performance. He questioned whether the players had the ability to play defense at a passable level. He took a step back off those comments on Tuesday.

More from New York Knicks

"“I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily that they [can’t] play defense — we have to find the right way to have them play defense,” he said. “I think these guys really are trying, but defense is tough. It’s an all-out running into guys, hustling, not stopping. It’s a lot harder than offense. So the effort they are giving is, I think, is good, but we got to get it to be great.”"

Defense takes a team effort, but the reality is the Knicks just do not have many good defenders. Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose are not strong defenders in the starting unit so teams abuse the Knicks in the pick-and-roll. There is only so much Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah can do to cover for their teammates on the perimeter and Kristaps Porzingis can do protecting the rim.

There isn’t much that Hornacek can do unless he puts Anthony in a time machine. Anthony, never known as much of a defender, does not have the same athleticism and closing ability that he used to. For that reason, the Knicks are left out to try often during rotations and scramble plays when they double team.

Despite the struggles, an authoritative change is not coming, and Kurt Rambis will continue working with the defense. A lineup change is not imminent either for the Knicks according to Hornacek.

"“We’re always taking a look at things,” he said. “But we’ve got some dynamic offensive players out there, and we’ve got some guys that are strictly defense to help us out. We just all have to get better.”"

A coach should never have to coax effort out of professionals. As a pro, bringing effort every night shouldn’t be difficult. Everyone has an off night every now and then over the course of an 82-game season, but the Knicks too often look like they don’t bring it on the court.

Next: New York Knicks 30 Greatest Players Of All-Time

The Knicks are in danger of seeing their season spiral out of control with the current five-game losing streak they are on. Hornacek better get them to buy in sooner than later defensively or this season will become another lost one like many of the past two-plus decades have been.

Home/New York Knicks