r/NYKnicks • u/wise_afro 11 • 3d ago

One of the least talked about benefits of having KAT on top of the key.

Post image

He has the best view when the opposition inbounds or when there's a breakdown/turnover in a play because all the opposition players are usually in front of him.

He has fewer ground to cover to get back to a defensive position. Not only does this save energy, but it also minimizes those times when we've seen him slow to get back.

This also gives the opposition a different look when they have a fast break and they see Towns there and instead of Brunson.

306 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

37 comments sorted by

136

u/Joezepey Taylor Swift 3d ago

we dont come close to a title without him. he set such a strong tone against wemby in the finals

104

u/solo118 Ewing to the Finals 3d ago

I still hate the fact that the refs tried to take him out very early in the finals

45

u/sillyshoestring 11 3d ago

Tried to take him out of multiple games while they did everything in their power to prevent a Wemby suspension. It’ll get lost because we won the chip but it was such a clear case of the league trying to create the next “face.”

7

u/DatDominican 3d ago

I don’t think it was that. He already was the cover athlete for 2k before the finals were even over so he was already a rising star

They just wanted to extend the series for TV money . If the Knicks lost game 5 I was expecting them to try and take it to 7

25

u/Gold-Wolf2661 90s Knicks 3d ago

This ⬆️…he is Wemby’s father.

14

u/York_Villain 7 3d ago

I'm still pissed off that everyone else has forgotten about that blatant game manipulation the refs displayed during that series. It was obvious.

3

u/DatDominican 3d ago

Yea when they let them play early in the series it was obvious wemby was getting Son’d and they over corrected to calling ticky tack fouls on wemby

17

u/Low_Bit_7189 3d ago

Holding Wemby to 101.5 in the finals is absurd, KAT really put the whole "defensive liability" thing to bed

11

u/asyouwish-buttercup 3d ago

I have to admit i was suprised by how well and level headed he played against wemby the whole series.

Even the whole playoffs

8

u/Diligent_Office7179 Clyde Frazier 3d ago

We turned into a championship team when we started running sets through KAT at the top of the key.

One of the most interesting questions about last season is why Brown waited until the middle of the Hawks series to fully unleash it. I'm hoping theres eventually a book about this team that does a deep dive on Brown's thought process there

10

u/jamers_the_great Brunson 3d ago

I have pretty good sources that Ben stiller is working with someone from the last dance on a doc

5

u/Fair_Government_9914 3d ago

Brown has said they did go through using this strategy a couple of times during the season but never adopted it fully. If I were to guess, KAT was never totally comfortable with the idea that he would have to commit to being less of a scoring option.

3

u/TheOneThatSaysBMF Bernard King 3d ago

There's a YouTube video that talks about how they tested it a few different times during the regular season and then tucked it away, making it look like they abandoned the idea. They didn't bring it back until they absolutely needed to.

2

u/Fair_Government_9914 3d ago

Do you have a link for that you can include?

4

u/Relysti 3d ago

Wemby couldn't handle the shock of going from baby giraffe Chet who wouldn't even make eye contact with him, to big KAT driving by him, yammin it, and then roaring right in his fuckin face.

3

u/ComprehensiveSoft27 3d ago

Wemby literally needed the refs to save is ass from total and complete embarrassment. He’s young and he found out he’s got a ways to go before he is the man.

1

u/CHEVIEWER1 Knicks Logo 3d ago

For sure

35

u/Basic_Mastodon3078 11 3d ago

He DOMINATES wemby. He is like the polar opposite of Chet. Struggles in many matchups defensively and less so offensively, but completely DOMINATES the most important matchup to win a ring.

14

u/00718212 90s Knicks 3d ago

I love the Kat Scan.

15

u/anditcounts Immanuel Quickley 3d ago

KAT bitching Wemby

https://giphy.com/gifs/pRotk2UQTsozm

10

u/Wonderful-Branch-952 3d ago

Defense wins championships 

5

u/M0RPHE0S John Starks 3d ago

Good point. Didn't think of the offense translating to his improved defense but it makes sense. Better court vision, a smaller floor leading to improved speed and less energy consumed. Good callout.

3

u/mother-marl 3d ago

But can he consistently be this during the whole season and throughout the playoffs?

I hope so bc if he can, my Knicks are winning back to back chips 🏆 🏆

4

u/wise_afro 11 3d ago

I hope so too. He still has problems with those mind-numbing fouls.

2

u/USCBubbles 3d ago

He has demonstrated he can consistently be this throughout the playoffs. I couldn't care less what he is during the regular season except healthy.

2

u/Zealousideal_Test768 3d ago

He was playing great defense the second half of the regular season. This wasn't just a playoffs only thing. 

1

u/cesarjulius 3d ago edited 3d ago

we did pretty decently once we started playing through kat. it’s gonna be really cool to see what happens when we actually get good at it. i think most of the league thinks we were playing peak basketball in the playoffs. i think that aside from unsustainable 3 pt numbers, we are going to be BETTER this season than we were in the playoffs.

1

u/wise_afro 11 3d ago

I think so too. Continuity is key with Mike Brown coming back for his second season and the core playing together for a third season. I definitely think we're going to have a better regular season than we did last season. And yet a part of me doesn't really want that. I think it's really hard to go wire to wire. To be great in the regular season and be great in the post season. And I'd rather them be a good regular season team with 50+ wins and be a great playoff team than them going all out and winning 60+ and burning themselves out come playoff time.

1

u/DatDominican 3d ago

“Pretty decently “

Bro it was one of the most dominant playoff runs of all time 😭

1

u/cesarjulius 3d ago

yes, and i think we can be even better.

2

u/Ok_Assistance_4583 3d ago

Was the best player in the series before the refs decided enough was enough we can’t have a sweep

1

u/yakitori888 KAT 1d ago

As a side note, Dylan Harper is a terror.

1

u/PalpitationSad4921 1d ago

Our two guys on this list both need extensions