NBA: Top 5 Reasons The New York Knicks Are Struggling

It’s still early, but the Knicks are just 6-7 to start off this season. It’s not very often the Knicks actually have some expectations heading into a new season, but Phil Jackson had quite a busy offseason. With so many new additions, this squad has high hopes, but are clearly a work in progress.

Here are five reasons why the Knicks are struggling so far.

1. Bench

If the Knicks starting five doesn’t generate a lot of scoring, it’s going to be a long night for Jeff Hornacek’s squad. The Knicks simply don’t have a reliable bench to fall back on when their high profile players are slumping. This season the Knicks bench is averaging just 29.8 points per game, which is good enough for 22^nd best in the NBA. There has been talk that the Knicks could move Kristaps Porziņģis to a more limited role to the bench, but that’s a very risky move.

2. Defense

Defense wins championships, and let’s be honest, the Knicks simply don’t have an elite defense. The Knicks are allowing 106.2 points per game this season while allowing teams to shoot over 45 percent from the field. As good as Porziņģis is and can be, he’s not Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony isn’t an All Star defender. Former Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah doesn’t resemble the rim protector he once did with the Chicago Bulls either. Overall, the Knicks rank a dreadful 28^th in defensive rating.

3. Ball Distribution

When you’re watching Knicks games one glaring flaw you’ll notice on the offensive end is lack of ball distribution. Numerous times we see Carmelo Anthony or Derrick Rose take the ball up the court, and then we only see one pass before having to take a difficult shot. Noah has become an offensive liability; many times when he gets the ball he refuses to even dribble and just looks to give the ball right back to Rose. The Knicks rank 18^th in assists per game so far and not one player on the roster is even averaging five assists per game. Maybe it's time to abandon the triangle for good.

4. Inconsistency

Truth be told, the Knicks haven’t been that bad this year. At 6-7, they’re pretty much right where they started off the season. One of the issues this season however has been consistency. Only once this season have the Knicks even won back-to-back games, over the dismal Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks. If the Knicks are going to be true contenders, they need to play at a high level each and every game. The Knicks are just 1-5 on the road so far.

5. Big Men

The Knicks were so successful in the 1990s when they had Ewing and Oakley dominating in the front court. Porziņģis can make plays on offensive and he’s a very gifted shooter for his size, but again, he’s not an elite defender. The Knicks simply aren’t getting enough out of their big men. That doesn’t necessarily mean they need a Pau Gasol in the front court, but look at what a big difference 7-foot Andrew Bogut made for the Golden State Warriors.