Fresh off winning the NBA championship, the New York Knicks came into this season with high expectations. With mostly the same roster as last season, there’s no reason (on paper, at least) why they should have any trouble reclaiming their place near the top of the East.

After the first week of action, however, the Knicks are 0-3, with losses to the 76ers, Celtics, and Magic. Somehow, the defending champions look like a shell of themselves, and head coach Mike Brown says the defense is a major reason why. In a recent press conference, he explained the problem, stressing his team’s poor second-half rating and a lack of proper pacing.

“If you look at our first-half defense, our rating is like 101-point-something, which I think would have been first in the league,” said Brown. “If you look at our second-half defense, our defensive rating would be 117-point-something, which would be 25th or 26th in the league last year. It’s not just about the shooting because there are stats that say we need to be better defensively in the second half.”

“Having said that, the biggest thing is: are we getting good shots from the right people? Watching the film and watching the game, I think we are. We’ve had some pretty good looks from the right people at the right time that normally go in, so I want them to keep shooting the basketball. Our pace has to be better. I think we’re 29th in pace… and that’s not good.”

For Brown, the offense will come. He likes the looks his team is getting, and believes they will start making more shots eventually. Particularly, we have to expect more from Mikal Bridges, who is averaging just 3.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game on 21.7% shooting this season.

Defensively, the real issues lie. The Knicks have the personnel to be great on that end (as we saw last season), but they lose focus in the second half of games, suggesting it’s more of a mental issue than anything else. According to Brown, the key for the Knicks, besides sticking to their formula, is not to panic in the face of early adversity. It’s one of the many lessons he learned from his time with the Warriors.

“The one thing that I do know is nobody ever panicked,” Brown added. “From ownership to GM to the coaching staff and players, we truly felt that we were better when we were playing. To get thumped in the head sometimes might not be all bad. The biggest thing is to know that you’ve got a game plan and to stay the course, making tweaks as needed.”

Mike Brown trusts that his championship core can get their act together, and he’s already taken some steps to hasten their progress. This season, unlike last year, he’s experimenting with how he staggers Brunson and Towns, somewhat altering the preestablished rotation. So far, however, it hasn’t had the desired results.

“My big experimentation was playing KAT and Jalen in two stretches together,” Brown said. “And so the middle of [the game], I had both KAT and Jalen off the floor. We didn’t really do that last year. Watching it, I think we did it in the preseason some, but we didn’t play everybody all the time, so it was a little harder, but watching it, I didn’t like it.”

At this point, it’s clear the Knicks are not panicking. As much as their slow start has been concerning, we already know what this group can accomplish together. As long as everyone stays healthy, the Knicks trust that they can return to being that championship team again. Right now, though, they are far from that, and it will take some work before they’re in a better place as a team. Against the undefeated Pistons tonight, the Knicks will have one of their biggest tests yet, and a loss will only increase the building anxiety.