The NBA season is a long one that is never short on ups, downs, and unexpected turns. And one game is rarely enough to make any definitive claims. But four games into a very unexpected start to the season, we have managed to learn some things about the Knicks and their state of affairs.

After an emphatic blowout victory over a Pistons team that haunted them last year, we take a look at the few storylines that stood out.

Karl-Anthony Towns is their best player right now

For pretty much the entirety of Jalen Brunson’s tenure as a Knick, he’s been the team’s best player. While the team still belongs to the captain and reigning Finals MVP, Towns has undoubtedly been the team’s best and most consistent player. Even with his early foul troubles in a couple of the games, he’s yet to have a bad game overall. His efficiency has been off the charts, he’s been rebounding even better than he always has, and the defense has been solid as well. And against the Pistons on Tuesday night, it wasn’t much different. The big man finished the night with an impressive 27-point, 20-rebound line. If the Knicks want to have a shot at repeating, Brunson will need to be better. And he likely will get there sooner than later. Four games into the 26-27 campaign, though, Towns has been the Knicks’ MVP.

Is Jalen Brunson officially in a slump?

I wouldn’t read too much into this as he could very easily get back on tonight against the Bulls and make me look foolish. But he’s going through it right now offensively. He’s shooting just 36.6% from the field and just 20% from three. He’s looked bad for his standards, which, to be fair, are very high. And outside of a couple of games in the preseason, Brunson has struggled especially from deep. He’s obviously been fully cleared after undergoing offseason wrist surgery. And he hasn’t brought it up. But there were clips circulating of him shaking his wrist out after a play against the Magic. It’s hard to tell if it’s bothering him, and if so, how much. But it is worth keeping an eye on. The good news though is that a lot of the shots he’s missed are shots we’re used to seeing him make. And going up against a few good defensive teams in the Celtics, Magic, and Pistons in the first four games of the season is worth noting.

Will the real Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet please stand up?

In a game in which the starters once again got off to a bit of a slow start offensively, the much-maligned Bridges was the one that stepped up and kept the Knicks in the game. He looked more aggressive than he had all season long and finally got a few jumpers to go. After watching Bridges in a Knicks uniform for two full seasons now, we have to understand that regular season Bridges is going to have his ups and downs. But after not seeing any offensive ups from him through the team’s first three games, it was nice to see the wing look more like the player we saw during the postseason run. 

And as if getting Bridges to awake from his slumber wasn’t enough, New York also got its first solid game from Shamet this season. Going 3-of-8 overall may not raise any eyebrows, but he hit three of his five threes and scored more than nine points for the first time this season. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for the Knicks. 

Tyler Kolek continues to do the little things

The third-year man’s line of two point, one rebound, two steals and three assists is far from impressive. But Kolek had some really nice assists and is doing a good job of getting guys in the right spots and pushing the tempo a bit when he’s in the game. And while the sample is still small, there may be something there between Kolek and Towns. In the two games Kolek has played this season, he’s made a concerted effort to get the ball to Towns. If he can hold his own defensively, the argument between him and Jose Alvarado could at least turn into a conversation worth having. 

The glimpses of a good defense are showing

While Towns, Bridges, and Kolek all shined offensively, my biggest takeaway from this game was just how good the team’s defense was for the final 36 minutes. Sure, the Pistons missed some shots they should’ve made. And they did get a bit sloppy in the fourth quarter. But the Knicks' defense looked really good for most of the night. They battled and made things difficult for the Pistons and they did a great job of having active hands and getting into the passing lane. Josh Hart, in particular, has been great defensively for much of the season and deserves plenty of credit for the work he’s put in on that end of the floor a week into the season. There’s still work to do, but they reminded everyone just how incredible their defense can be. 

Miles McBride and Mohamed Diawara

While McBride has at least played and been a consistent part of the rotation, it’s been surprising just how diminished both of these two players’ roles have been compared to what fans thought they would be. Instead of averaging 25-plus minutes per game like many expected, McBride is now routinely playing less than 20 minutes. And Diawara has started the season out of the rotation completely. There’s still a very long season ahead of them and anything can happen (look no further than the aforementioned Kolek). But it’s no longer a coincidence. This is a trend. And a very interesting one at that.