The road has been unkind for the Knicks to start this season.
After two impressive wins at Madison Square Garden to open the new campaign, a 119-111 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers and 105-95 against the Boston Celtics, the Knicks have dropped their two games away from MSG, falling to the Miami Heat 115-107 on Sunday and the Milwaukee Bucks 121-111 on Tuesday.
A familiar theme has emerged in first-year Knicks head coach Mike Brown's offense, one that carried over from Tom Thibodeau's system: point guard Jalen Brunson is taking the bulk of the shots. He's led the 2-2 Knicks in scoring in three of their four games, including a 36-point performance against the Bucks, heading into tomorrow's matchup with the Bulls in Chicago. Brunson has topped 30 points in three games, with the lone exception being his 23-point outing against the Cavaliers.
Conversely, Karl-Anthony Towns, who two days before opening night expressed he was uncertain about his role in the Brown's offensive system, has by and large looked unsteady. He was just 2-12 for eight points against the Bucks and on the season is only averaging 17 ppg. Last year, Towns earned All-NBA third team honors, and was a 24.4 point per game scorer.
But his early decline in points hasn't affected his rebounding: he's grabbing 13.5 and had 12 on Tuesday. His counterpart, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, long subject to speculation about a possible move to the New York Knicks -- has been producing video-game-style numbers -- hanging 37 on New York on 16-22 shooting for 3-1 Milwaukee. Going into tonight's matchup versus the Golden State Warriors, Antetokounmpo is averaging 36.3 points and 14.0 rebounds per game.
Towns is still adapting to the Knicks offense, but his resume suggests he'll soon approach or exceed his career scoring average of 23 points per game. One clear difference between Brown's and Thibodeau's rotations is depth: while Thibodeau rarely went deep into his bench, Brown has been doing so, giving guards Landry Shamet and Tyler Kolek, along with center Ariel Hukporti, meaningful minutes.
Hukporti has seen extended floor time in part because of the absence of center Mitchell Robinson, who has yet to make his season debut as the Knicks are being cautious with his twice surgically-repaired left ankle.
The Knicks will play seven-straight home games in an extended homestand beginning on Sunday when they face the Bulls again. They will host the Washington Wizards on Monday and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.