The New York Knicks have a talented roster on paper with some high-flying, All-Star level talent. But the flashy side of the game might not be enough to take that them all the way.

With a 35-20 record, the Knicks are the current third-seed in the Eastern Conference behind the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, with the Cleveland Cavaliers just one game behind them since embarking on a James Harden-fueled surge.

At the start of the season, the Knicks were looking like the best team in the Eastern Conference and winning the NBA Cup in the mid-season tournament felt like one step on the Knicks' long-waited return to the top of the league. 

But, a serious skid after winning the NBA Cup brought them back down to earth and even though they've made a massive recovery by winning 10 of their last 12 games before the All-Star break, there's some doubt that the Knicks have a complete enough roster to achieve the success they've been looking for, even from their own stars. 

“We’re very gifted. We’re very talented,” Jalen Brunson said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “But we need the little things that help us be better, the intangibles. We got to that point last year where we had it. We don’t have it right now.”

The Knicks are top-10 in the NBA in the three major stats of average points, rebounds and assists per game and just outside the top-10 in field goal percentage, but they also aren't outright leaders of top five or three teams in any of those categories. 

Being in the upper third of the NBA in major stats is a sign of a successful team, but it isn't an indicator of guaranteed success either.

Still, when Brunson mentions the intangibles, he likely isn't referring to numbers on a stat sheet. 

When the Knicks were stuck in the midst of their losing streak after the NBA Cup and head coach Mike Brown's frustration grew more and more with every postgame conference, he brought up intangible qualities as well.

Brown consistently pointed to effort on the defensive end and a lack of adhering to game plans whenever he had to try and describe the reasons that the Knicks lost a certain game, and at times he was even baffled himself. 

When it comes down to it, despite the numbers that favor the Knicks and the raw talent they're able to put on the court, panic in the moment and a lack of effort or pace could be the little things Brunson alluded to that could sink the Knicks when it matters most.