It was just a few months ago that you could’ve turned a Knicks game off and celebrated within the last five minutes if it was a one-possession game: that’s how automatic they were in the clutch.
Led by the former Clutch Player of the Year and an impeccable supporting cast, it seemed like every time they found themselves in a late and close situation, it was automatic after those two CJ McCollum games. Even going back further than that, this team’s ability to dig deep when they need it most has been the defining characteristic of the Jalen Brunson era.
With an identical roster back in 2026-27, you’d expect it’d be the same… except it’s not.
In the Knicks’ 6-6 start, they’ve played seven clutch games. They’ve lost six of them.
Not all clutch games are created equal, but all of these games were winnable. Even last night’s loss against Indiana, which I was saying felt like a “fake clutch game,” as the Knicks got a few buckets late to make it look close, they somehow managed to have the ball with a chance to send it to overtime at the buzzer.
One way or another, the Knicks have failed to win these games. The lone win, the high-scoring thriller in Chicago, was the only game where it’s felt like last season’s Knicks that found a way.
Overall, in their 1-6 record in clutch games, the Knicks have a minus-17.4 net rating, ranking 22nd in the NBA. They don’t do anything truly bad in these games, but they do nothing well.
Their turnover rate is league average, as is their assist rate. Their rebounding goes from dominant to so-so, but the real culprit is the putrid 50.7 TS%, which ranks 23rd. That’s the catalyst behind an offense that hasn’t worked in these situations.
If you exclude the Chicago game, they have a minus-40 net rating with an 82.9 offensive rating and an even rougher 44.4 TS%. All six of those games have come against the type of teams they’ve excelled against in postseason settings, but it just hasn’t happened so far.
Going game-by-game, it’s just a mess of missed opportunities.
In the season opener against Philly, the Knicks trailed by two with under three minutes to go. After giving up a dunk to VJ Edgecombe, OG Anunoby committed a back-breaking turnover in the open court that allowed Tyrese Maxey to score an easy layup. The Knicks never got closer.
The Boston game that followed it felt like a fake comeback at times, but the team got within one with 1:41 to go. While the Celtics never pulled away from there, Jayson Tatum never gave them a chance to come back with tough shot after tough shot.
The inability to get a stop, coupled with a bad moving screen by Karl-Anthony Towns in a crucial spot down three with 1:11 left doomed them to an 0-2 start.
Against Orlando, the game was tied at 91 at the five-minute mark, but the Knicks played so poorly over the next four minutes that they gave themselves no chance. On their next eight possessions, the Knicks went 0-for-3 from the field, 2-for-6 from the line, and had three turnovers.
In the NBA Cup game in Philadelphia, a stepback three from Brunson gave them a 90-89 lead with 1:32 left, but things would unravel after that. A clutch LeBron fadeaway and a triple from Edgecombe on the next two possessions hurt, but so did allowing a brutal offensive rebound after getting a stop with 12 seconds left.
Their biggest strength, rebounding, failed them.
Against Cleveland on Wednesday, it was tied entering clutch time and a one-point game with 3:26 left, but a peculiar decision to continue to blitz Donovan Mitchell at halfcourt allowed the Cavs to score on essentially every trip down.
One sequence that defined this one? Deuce McBride had a fastbreak layup down by five with 35 seconds to go, got stuffed, and Peyton Watson hit Jarrett Allen on an outlet for an and-1 to ice the game.
Then, last night in Indiana, the undermanned Pacers did everything they could to throw the game away, giving the Knicks the ball down by two with 2.8 to go. They drew up a post touch for Towns, but it didn’t go.
I don’t hate the idea, but I really wish they used Towns’ newfound playmaking ability to their advantage by trying to free up a shooter on the right wing. If I have any criticism of this team’s late-game offense for years now, it’s too much isolation. There was enough time for a pass to at least be an option.
The team is shooting 38.9% in the clutch, a continuation of what’s been annoyingly persistent struggles with efficiency. They haven’t shot enough free throws to make conclusions there, but the regression we’ve seen from Towns and Brunson at the line has killed them in games where every point counts.
All told, this is something you expect to eventually reverse itself, but we’re getting to the point in the season where samples are getting bigger and bigger.
At some point, they have to start executing in general and consistently play as a cohesive unit for all 48 minutes.
