With a 3-0 start to the preseason, the New York Knicks were firing on all cylinders and playing like a true playoff-caliber team. Then came Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden, where none of the starters received minutes. Miles McBride, Pacome Dadiet, Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson and Malcolm Brogdon were sent out to defend home court.

However, the five backups were no match for the Wizards, who cruised past them to pick up the 120-103 victory. Marvin Bagley III ended the game with an 18-point and 11-rebound double-double, while Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George combined for 21 points. McBride ended with 11 points, but went 2-for-9 from 3-point range. Yabusele and Clarkson scored in the double digits, but Brogdon fell short of that tally with just four points. The Knicks' only source of offense was Tyler Kolek’s 20 points, four rebounds and six assists.

The 17-point loss highlighted two key problems among New York’s bench: defense and good 3-point shooting.

Knicks were Outscored by 23 in the 1st Half

Defense has always been a recurring problem for the Knicks, and it became more apparent on Monday night. By the time there was 5:51 left in the first quarter, the Wizards already held a sizable seven-point lead. Tristan Vukcevic then nailed a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter to put Washington up by 10. It didn’t get much better for the Knicks in the second quarter, as they went down by 23 at the end of the first half. Worst of all, the Wizards made six 3-pointers in the second quarter, while the Knicks only made one.

Something needs to change if the bench is getting outscored by this much in the first half. Head coach Mike Brown needs to have his team work more on their 3-point defense and defensive pressure when close to the basket. Furthermore, I want to see Dadiet work more on his defensive prowess because at 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, he has the size to make plays on defense. The same goes for Yabusele, because if he starts to develop defensively, the Knicks will have a better chance at stopping larger forwards because he will be paired with centers Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.

Shooting 31% from 3-point Range with 1 Week Left in Preseason

3-point shooting has never been the Knicks' strong suit, which became even more evident against the Wizards. Dadiet, Yabusele and Clarkson got two 3-pointers to fall, but missed three to four of their attempts. The rest of the team made five from long range but missed 11. Ultimately, New York ended with a 31% 3-point percentage, falling short of the Wizards' 39%. Washington made 54% of its attempts from the field, while the Knicks ended with 44% from the field. If your team is struggling this much to hit 3-pointers, then some work needs to be done.

Brown should have his team spend extra time practicing deep and corner 3-pointers until they become more comfortable shooting threes well. This can specifically benefit McBride, a talented shooter who missed seven 3-pointers against the Wizards.

The one good thing about the Knicks' loss to Washington is that they still have a week left until the start of the regular season, meaning there is still time for them to work on their defense and 3-point shooting. They still have one more preseason game on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets, but Brown has to prepare his team for their home and season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 22.