Let me start by saying I’m a die-hard Knicks fan.

If you’ve been around my page for a while, this isn’t a surprise. I rep my New York sports teams hard. Like, maniacally hard. I love the Yankees, the Knicks and (for some god-unknown reason) the Jets. There’s a sprinkle of some Giants fandom in there too.

Last year, the Knicks surprised a basketball world that took their ineptitude for granted. With a new coach, a solid second season from the previous year’s lottery pick, and a young star on the verge, the basketball people pegged the team for 22 wins in a COVID-shortened season, and that was considered optimistic. And what happened? The Knicks discovered a new identity built around tough defense, an improved RJ Barrett, and a breakout year for their soon-to-be anointed star, Julius Randle. The Knicks won 41 of 72 games and earned the #4 seed in the East.

Then the playoffs happened. Julius Randle was neutralized and the team didn’t have a second scoring option. The Hawks wiped us out in 5 games.

To be fair, the Hawks did make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Also, to be fair, f**k Trae Young.

In the offseason, the front office addressed some of the concerns on the team’s roster. Derrick Rose needed to be re-signed. Julius Randle needed a long-term contract. We needed to upgrade our starting backcourt, because Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock weren’t getting it done. And when the Knicks added Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, there were some cheers at the team for upgrading the lineup with solid players on team-friendly contracts. And there were some jeers because we didn’t land a “star” player. The pragmatists among us decided to wait and see with bated (but optimistic) breath.

The Knicks are now 17 games into the regular season, with a record of 9-8 at the time of this writing. There have been some highs so far—a double-overtime win against the Celtics, a blowout of the Magic, and a tough win against the defending champion Bucks—and definitely some lows, such as losing two games to the Magic at the Garden. If we’re not as good as out best and not as bad as our worst, that makes us… what? Mediocre?

I don’t necessarily think so. When we’re clicking, the Knicks’ starters can put up points in bunches, and the bench mob is the best in the game, spearheaded by Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley. When we’re not good, shots aren’t falling, and the starters—namely Randle—try to rely on hero-ball and chucking up 3-point shots.

17 games in, I’m not ready to call the Knicks a bad team, or even a mediocre one. Right now, they’re a good team that’s not playing to their strengths. Their strengths are on the defensive end, making stops and using the transition game to speed up the pace. They should be using the prodigious ball handling skills of their guard—Walker, Fournier, Rose, and Quickley—to break down defenses and penetrate, passing out to the 3-point line out of collapsing defenses. Standing beyond the arc and launching 3’s? Not their game.

This isn’t a bad team. Time will tell if it’s a good one.