The first half of December has been an interesting one for the Knicks. They've gone 5-2, which is hard to complain about, but it's been an incredibly up-and-down seven games. Some nights, they look incredible and play like a team that has a shot at contending come May -- look no further than the three-game stretch where they beat the Pelicans, Magic, and Hornets by an average of 24 points -- but on other nights -- like the ones when they played the Pistons and Hawks -- they look like they are very far from becoming the team we want them to become.

Aside from the inconsistent play, this month has also given us some really interesting stats that stand out. Here are a few of them.

Under Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks have generally been good at protecting the ball. In his first season as the Knicks' coach, New York was sixth in the league in turnovers. The season after, they were 10th. The year after that? Fourth. And last year, they were 15th. In all four seasons, the Knicks averaged 13.3 turnovers per game or less. So far this season, they've really excelled there once again, ranking fourth in the league with just 13.1 turnovers per game.

But as of late, they have been noticeably more sloppy with the ball. After averaging just 11.8 turnovers per game in October, and 11.3 turnovers per game in November, the Knicks are currently averaging 13.9 turnovers per game in December. For reference, in their first 19 games, the Knicks had 17 or more turnovers just once. In their last seven games, they've reached that mark three times.

Some of that can be attributed to having to play Orlando and their stingy defense twice and having a few blowout games that lead to less focus later in the game. But overall, the Knicks have been worse at limiting turnovers and that'll be something to keep an eye on as they average 11.8 turnovers per game in wins versus 12.8 turnovers per game in losses.

Another area where they have taken a step back is their free-throw shooting. With Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns getting to the line somewhat frequently and Josh Hart starting the season nearly automatic from the charity stripe, the Knicks started the season being a very good free-throw shooting team. In October, they shot 81.9% and were fourth in the league in free-throw shooting percentage, and in November, they shot 83.4% and were first in the league.

Through the first seven games in December though, they are shooting just 75.5% from the line, which is good for just 23rd in the league. A big reason for this is Brunson, who is getting to the line nearly seven times per game in December but is converting on just 77.1% of his attempts this month. Given Brunson's career 82.3% free-throw percentage, this number, along with the team's free-throw percentage, should go up. But it's still something to keep track of as a team-wide free-throw slump is something we don't see too often.

Both the aforementioned points have led to the Knicks finally seeing a slight decline on the offensive side. After being first or second in offensive rating for much of November, where they posted an offensive rating of 121.8, they are just ninth in offensive rating this month with an offensive rating of 115.2. This one isn't too concerning though. Compared to last month, New York's assist percentage, pace, effective field goal, and true shooting percentages are almost exactly the same, which means if they can fix some of their turnover and free-throw shooting issues, this problem should work itself out relatively easily. But, it does showcase one small issue with the offense.

Because they play at such a slow and methodical pace, they rely heavily on making shots. Now, they often get very good shots so it's not as if they have to continuously hit tough shots. But, with their slow pace, comes fewer shots. And that means they really have to capitalize on the opportunities they get. So, making free throws and taking care of the ball, while important for any team, is even more crucial for this Knicks team in particular.

Despite being the architect of some really good defenses in the past, Thibodeau's teams seldom average a high number of steals and blocks. That trend continued early on this season when the Knicks started the season averaging just 5.8SPG and 3.5BPG in October. In November, they improved on those marks by averaging 7.3SPG and 4.0BPG in November. And thus far in December, they have continued their upward trajectory by averaging 8.1SPG and 6.1BPG, the latter of which is good for fifth in the league over their last seven games.

Obviously, steals and blocks aren't always indicative of good defense. Yearly, some players average a high number of steals, not because they are good, sound defenders but because they gamble. And conversely, there are always players and teams that average a low amount of steals and or blocks, that do play good defense. So, an increase in these counting stats doesn't necessarily equate to the Knicks improving on defense. But, it does indicate that they have been more active as the season has gone on.

Towns has had three two-block games as of late and 11 blocks so far in December. OG Anunoby, who has been a defensive menace all season long, has seemingly taken another leap as of late, blocking 16 shots and registering 12 steals this month. And Josh Hart, Precious Achiuwa, and Mikal Bridges have all chipped in with improved defensive activity as well.

This is still a number that is heavily carried by two players in Anunoby, and Towns, so it's susceptible to it seeing a negative regression but it's still nice to see the defensive activity pick up in recent games.

I know I just said that more steals and blocks don't always mean better defense. But in the Knicks' case, it actually has. Say what you want about New York's opponents to start the month, statistically, they have been a much better defensive team as of late.

After having a defensive rating of 117 in October, and 115.9 in November, they are now at 104.8 for December, which is the third-best in the league for the month. Of note, they are also giving up the second least points per game this month while being third in both three-point makes allowed per game and opponent field goal percentage.

Again, playing against a Pelicans team without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, a Magic team without Paolo Banchero twice, and a Hornets team without LaMelo Ball should and often will lead to improved defensive numbers, but the team still has to go out and do it. And for the most part, they've passed the eye test as well.

As the schedule gets tougher again, their defensive rating is sure to see some regression. But, there is hope that they can continue to improve on defense and at least turn into a solid team on that end of the floor.

Last season, much of the conversation surrounding the Knicks was around injuries and minutes. And some of it was warranted. While Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson both got hurt in freak accidents that had nothing to do with increased minutes, there's a case to be made that Thibodeau's tendency to play his starters 40+ minutes consistently led to the eventual downfall of Hart, Anunoby, and ultimately, the Knicks.

So far this season, Thibodeau has doubled down on his reliance on his starters and many fans are concerned. Some of Thibodeau's decisions are justifiable. The team does need time to gel and the best way to address that need is through playing on the court in real-game situations.

The Knicks also had the chance to stay near the top of the non-Celtics, non-Cavaliers portion of the eastern conference and have been able to push themselves to the third seed. But, given last season's tragic injuries, fans are still scared that something similar might happen. And, if Thibodeau doesn't start relying on his bench more at some point, it could.

Heading into tonight's game, Bridges, Anunoby, and Hart all rank top five in total minutes and are all top 10 in minutes per game. Brunson and Towns, to be fair to the Knicks' coach, do both rank outside the top 30 in minutes per game, but the point stands. They've been incredibly fortunate so far, with Towns being the only starter to miss any games. And he only missed two games. But, you have to wonder if any of this ends up eventually catching up to them.