Warriors Beat Up Banged-Up Knicks

The Knicks defense has nosedived. And that's due in large part to OG Anunoby being sidelined. However, Isaiah Hartenstein is far from 100%, and that has been a major issue as well.

Final Score: Knicks 99 - Warriors 110
Record: 35-25

Last month, when the Knicks acquired Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Quentin Grimes and a pair of second-round picks, the hope was that the two vets would add depth to New York's playoff rotation and, just as significantly, help hold down the fort until the rest of the roster got healthy. 

The Knicks knew they'd be sacrificing on the defensive end to bolster their offensive output. As I wrote then, I thought it was a smart gamble by Leon Rose and NY's front office. However, the early returns have been undeniably disappointing. Not only have Burks and Bogey struggled defensively (as expected), they've failed to put up points on the other end.

Bogdanovic couldn't buy a bucket in Thursday's loss to Golden State, missing all seven of his field goal attempts. Burks remained mired in a frustrating shooting slump, scoring just five points on 2-of-6 FGs. Over New York's past seven games, Burks is shooting 27% from the floor, 27% from downtown and 50% from the charity stripe. 

The Knicks are 2-7 in the nine games they've played since the February 8 trade deadline. They have been the worst defensive team in the NBA during this stretch, allowing more than 121 points per 100 possessions. 

The Knicks have been outscored by 52 points in the 167 minutes Bogdanovic has been on the floor since arriving from Detroit. In the 105 minutes Burks and Bogey have shared the court together, New York is surprisingly averaging just 100 points per 100 possessions. 

"I've had a lot of ups and downs in my career on other teams, but the team needs me more," Bogdanovic told The Post after Thursday's defeat. "I've gotta be better, more aggressive, especially when we are missing a lot of wide-open shots. We gotta stick together and try to get the next one [Sunday in Cleveland]."

Bogdanovic noted that coming off the bench has been an adjustment but was not looking to make excuses. "I mean, it's different because I've been a starter all my career," Bogdanovic said. "But it's nothing new; the game is the same coming off the bench or starting. I've gotta adjust. I have a lot of experience. I have to be better than I've played."

Clearly, the Knicks need more efficient production from the duo, but the struggles from the pair of former Pistons are certainly not the only problems plaguing New York. 

As noted above, the Knicks defense has nosedived. And that's due in large part to OG Anunoby being sidelined. However, Isaiah Hartenstein is far from 100%, and that has been a major issue as well. 

Hartenstein finished with six points and six rebounds in 20 minutes last night and looked a step slow all evening. He posted a team-worst -18 plus/minus. 

After the game, he acknowledged he rushed back to action after re-aggravating his Achilles injury due to his team being short handed. "I probably could've sat out a couple more weeks," Hartenstein said Thursday. "But to me, I think we found a perfect medium where we're ramping it up at a good time. Just want to be here for the team."

"I feel it now a little bit. But that's why you ramp it up because it will get better and better. That's where we're at," Hartenstein added. "We don't want to spike it up too much at this point. We have a good program in place. It'll get better. That's the good thing about it."

Before the Achilles issue, iHart had been playing at an incredibly high level, especially as a rim protector on the defensive end. Over a 20-game stretch from the start of December through mid-January, Hartenstein was anchoring New York's defense (allowing less than 110 points per 100 possessions with him on the court). During this stretch, he posted a team-best +200 plus/minus (NY outscored their opponents by 200 minutes in the 759 minutes he played). 

In the 11 games he's appeared in since initially injuring his Achilles in a win over the Raptors back on January 20th, New York is allowing 122.4 per 100 possessions with Hartenstein on the floor. 

In the five games the Knicks have played since the All-Star Break, iHart has posted the worst Individual Defensive Rating on the club. New York is allowing 126.4 points per 100 possessions in the 81 minutes he has logged.