CHICAGO — Mike Brown needs another month before he can judge both his team and the rest of the NBA.
“It’ll take some time,” the coach said. “It’s hard to get a true evaluation in the first five to 10 games. I think y’all have been in this league long enough, the first month or month and a half, everybody feels like they have a chance and guys are playing hard and engaged and sometimes you have teams that are on top, they’re not going to finish on top.
“Because teams are trying to find their way. So we’re just evaluating not just [one player], but everybody. Not just the defense, but the offense too. Keep doing that. Come about December or end of November, we should have a pretty good feel.”
The Knicks are adjusting to a new coach but have the benefit of continuity, with the top seven in the rotation returning from last season.
Heading into the Halloween matchup against the Bulls, they’re 2-2 while ranked 24th in offense and seventh in defense.
“I think we’ve been pretty good defensively for some quarters and parts of the game,” Jalen Brunson said. “We haven’t played a full 48 minutes of offense or defense.”
Draymond Green, for one, doesn’t think the Knicks will get it together.
“I just don’t believe they’re contenders,” Green said on his podcast. “I don’t think they have what it takes to win at the highest level. I think you can stifle their offense. And make it hard on them. And I just think that ultimately, guys that don’t want to defend, it makes it tough to win at the highest level.”
Green didn’t specify players but it’s hard not to separate these comments from his open disdain for Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been criticized often for his defense. Last season, Green accused Towns of faking an injury to avoid playing Jimmy Butler. In reality, Towns was attending the funeral of a family friend.
With Josh Hart struggling to shoot after injuries to his finger and back, his good buddy and teammate Brunson suggested he block out the criticisms.
“One thing he does: When he’s locked in and he’s working on everything and he’s focused, it’s a different Josh and you’ve seen it,” Brunson said. “When we get back to that, it’s just not listening to the outside noise. The fans are talking or whatever and it’s impossible not to see it, but who gives a crap? People are gonna say what they want to say regardless of if we’re playing well or not.”
In three games, Hart is averaging just 3.7 points on 22 percent shooting overall and 11 percent on 3-pointers.
