Is something wrong with the Knicks? 3 players to blame for awkward stretch

The New York Knicks were one of the hottest teams in the NBA, going 24-10 in their first 34 games, and on a nine-game winning streak before facing off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They blew a fourth-quarter lead, lost the game and what followed was a serious rough patch.

The Knicks have gone 2-5 in their last seven games. Two of the games they lost were to the Thunder, who are looking to become one of the few teams to win 70 games in a season. They also lost to the Chicago Bulls, a team that lives and dies by 3, the Magic without Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Mo Wagner, and the red-hot Detroit Pistons.

For a team that had the best record in the league from Nov. 15 up until this stretch, this lull is causing questions. Which players are to blame for the struggles?

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3. Miles McBride

Miles McBride entered this season with an important role with the Knicks. The Karl-Anthony Towns trade resulted in the Knicks getting rid of Donte DiVincenzo, who was going to be the sixth man. Since the trade, McBride's role increased and his play off the bench is and will be important.

Before this stretch, McBride was fulfilling that role averaging 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, three assists, and shooting 40.2 percent from 3 Then he missed the next five games because of a right hamstring injury, including the first four games of this funk the Knicks are in.

His availability is extremely important because the Knicks starters already must play more than the average team's starters. The Knicks don't have the size nor the players to rely on their bench pieces for as long as other teams, so his not being there caused the starters to play extra and tire them out.

The Knicks lost to the Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back after all the starters played more than 40 minutes the previous game. Their legs just gave out.

McBride did come back for their last three games but he has struggled. He's put up 5.3 points, two rebounds, and three assists on .333/.250/1.000 splits. For someone who leads the team in bench minutes played, he needs to play better and stay healthy.

2. Mikal Bridges

A big reason for the Knicks nine-game winning streak before this stretch was Mikal Bridges playing like an All-Star. From Dec. 1 to the end of their winning streak, Bridges was averaging 21.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game on .571/.431/.750 shooting splits.

Bridges was criticized earlier in the season for shooting the ball poorly and seemed to have turned it around. Since that streak, he has been averaging 15.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.3 steals on .422/.264/.750 shooting splits.

He had one great game against the Pistons where he went 9-for-13 from the field and 6-for-8 from 3. If we exclude that game, he has been averaging 13.7 points on .382/.178/.667 shooting splits. Bridges went from making his case to being an All-Star back to the disappointment he was earlier in the season.

Stretches like this happen for players all around the league, but the Knicks can't afford for him to play this badly. He leads the league in minutes per game and minutes played for a reason. The Knicks don't have the wing depth to allow him, Josh Hart or OG Anunoby to get significant rest.

When he was playing well, the Knicks looked like the best team in the NBA, since he hit this rough stretch, the Knicks have looked like they need to answer some questions about team.

1. The starting lineup 3-point shooting (Besides Karl-Anthony Towns)

Since the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, the Knicks have relied more on their 3-point shooting than in years past. At the moment, the Knicks aren't the same defensive team they once were, so they need to rely on scoring the ball more. With Towns, who's sixth in the NBA in 3-point percentage, the 3-ball has become an integral part of how they play.

The Knicks starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Bridges, Hart, Anunoby, and Towns have either proven in years past or have had stretches this season of being elite 3-point shooters. This is why the Knicks are ranked seventh in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage.

Since this lull happened, their starters have not been shooting the 3 consistently. Towns has been shooting 50 percent from 3 but the other four haven't. Bridges has been shooting 26.4 percent, Brunson at 27.3 percent, Anunoby at 29.4 percent and Hart at 31.8 percent.

The Knicks as a whole have hit 40-for-162, or 24.6 percent, from 3 in their last five losses. In their two wins, they went 30-for-74, or 40.5 percent from 3. The differences in their 3-point shooting from their wins and losses is staggering.

When the Knicks have made at least 12 3-pointers in a game, their record is 21-4, when they've hit less than 12 3-pointers, their record is 4-11. The biggest reason the Knicks are in this stretch is because the starters have not been shooting the 3 as well as they had in the past. Once that ship gets right, and they can get everyone healthy, they'll still be viewed as one of the elite teams in the NBA.