The New York Knicks were supposed to do something special this NBA season. In a (theoretically) wide-open Eastern Conference, everyone rightfully had the Knicks pegged as one of the favorites to make the 2026 NBA Finals. That dream may still become reality by season’s end, but it’s tough not to be concerned with how the Knicks look lately.

After starting the season 23-9 and winning the NBA Cup, the Knicks have lost nine of their last 11 games. Six of those losses came by double digits, including a humiliating 121-90 blowout at the hands of the East-leading Detroit Pistons (along with defeats to the woeful Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks). The Pistons’ loss, in itself, might put the Knicks’ struggles into a more proper perspective.

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If the Knickerbockers can’t even hang with the East’s current heavyweight, then it’s probably time to sound the alarms. A new report from SNY’s Ian Begley confirms that the Knicks have deeper issues than we realize. And they actually stem partly from a lack of complete trust in first-year head coach Mike Brown’s vision for the team.

Hmm, maybe they should have hung that NBA Cup banner, after all. You know, to appease the basketball gods, who do not discriminate when it comes to spite.

Though it’d be hard to blame Brown for the Knicks’ players’ glaring lack of faith in one another, especially when it reportedly goes back to last season:

Yikes. It’d be one thing for the Knicks to be slumping because their shots aren’t falling or they’re dealing with a rash of injuries. In the extended ebb-and-flow of an 82-game grind of a season, every team should expect to hit some nadir related to these sorts of entirely normal issues. Eventually, the shots start falling, you get healthy, and the team course-corrects.

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The Knicks’ problems stemming from a lack of buy-in are a completely different story. Not everyone has accepted their roles, and we’re almost at the end of January. That’s not something you fix overnight. That’s something that can only be addressed over time, with a roster willing to take on adversity together and head-on. It’s not something Brown can necessarily fix by himself, either, particularly if this problem was present before he arrived. At a certain point, Knicks leaders like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns need to demand more accountability from their teammates.

If someone doesn’t take charge in New York very soon, this Knicks’ season may continue spiraling down the drain.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Knicks’ losing being made worse because they don’t trust Mike Brown