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After the high of ending the 52-year-old trophy drought by winning the NBA Cup, the New York Knicks are 5-6 since then. It also involves 4 back-to-back losses, including the recent drubbing at the hands of the Detroit Pistons, 121-90. Captain Jalen Brunson had a team-high 25 points, but had non-existent support from his teammates. Even franchise legend Carmelo Anthony had no other option but to call them out.
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“The late game offense becomes so so predictable.” On NBA Showtime, the Hall of Famer opined about the pressure on JB. “The shot creation, that burden on Jalen Brunson, is too heavy on his shoulders from a night-to-night basis. The margins are very thin. Because without easy offense, the Knicks missed shots that they turn into run-offs the other way.
“When you just focus on Jalen Brunson, and there is no movement, there’s no offense, there’s stagnation, and I don’t want to say you are getting punked, but you are getting punked. The Knicks will take this game and build off of this. I don’t think this is a time to panic. They have to get themselves together. The last five games they haven’t been showing up.”
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The sentiment about Brunson hogging the ball is not new. Even last year, people believed Jalen Brunson played too much hero ball for New York, but it did produce some clutch playoff performances that carried them to the Conference Finals.
Against the Pistons, the captain scored 25 points, but had 0 assists in 30 minutes of action.
Carmelo Anthony says the Knicks struggle in late game situations because they rely too much on Jalen Brunson after loss to Pistons
“Its too dependent on Brunson… When you just focus on Jalen Brunson and there is no movement and stagnation and you’re getting punked” pic.twitter.com/82UMKuo8wF
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) January 7, 2026
Even Karl-Anthony Towns had a substandard game, failing to take the pressure off JB and scoring just six points while committing six turnovers in 23 minutes.
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges couldn’t provide a spark either, as they combined for just 15 points on 5-for-14 shooting from the field. However, the buck stops with Jalen Brunson, who committed six turnovers as the team goes through a rough patch.
At the time they won the NBA Cup, the Knicks were 18-7 with the NBA’s No. 2 offense, No. 13 defense, and No. 3 net rating. Since the Cup win, though, they’re now 5-6, including four of their eight double-digit defeats on the season.
In this span, they’ve plummeted to 17th on offense and 27th on defense. This is also directly related to Josh Hart’s injury. Out with a sprained ankle, he averages 5.1 assists per game, second on the team behind Brunson.
Knicks regroup with a calm message
After losing to the Pistons, the Knicks fell to third in the East. New York has trailed by 20 or more points at some point in three consecutive games, and they blew a 19-point lead to the San Antonio Spurs before the last three games.
So, the captain and the coach are not panicking just yet. But they said changes will be coming soon.
“We just need to respond,” Brunson said. “A lot more needs to be said, but we’re going to keep that internal because there’s no reason for us to, no disrespect, (say it to the media).”
Coach Brown, in his first year with the Knicks, credited the Pistons for physically dominating the game. “It’s pretty simple. They just physically kicked our a–.”
“It’s not time to panic,” Brown said on Monday. “But we have to make sure we’re doing what we can do to help this group. And our guys have to bring it, or try to take it to another level as a group — not trying to do too much, but take it to another level as a group in a lot of areas.”
Up next, they face the resurgent Clippers, who are 7-3 in their last 10.
Written by
Edited by
Tanay Sahai