If you’re looking for a strong summary of what you’ve seen from the New York Knicks thus far, listen to what center Joakim Noah had to say the other day:

“We have three guys on this team that can score with the best of them. If we can just somehow find a way to build defensively, I think we can really make some noise.”

The problem is, the Knicks haven’t built much on defense lately, and they’ve barely made any noise.

New York enters 2017 on a four-game losing streak after dropping all three games on a road trip to close out December, including Saturday night's 129-122 loss to the Houston Rockets. They’ve lost seven of nine overall and will have to answer an important question starting with Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic:

Have the past two weeks been an aberration, or is it the new normal?

We should find out the answer to that question this month. The Knicks play 17 games in 30 days in January and have four back-to-backs.

NEW YORK KNICKS Check out the team site for more game coverage HOUSTON ROCKETS Check out the team site for more game coverage

The club needs to tighten up its defense if it hopes to turn things around. New York hasn't been able to defend on the perimeter -- in both pick-and-roll situations and one-on-one matchups -- which is one factor in its struggles on defense. The Knicks entered play Saturday at Houston with the sixth-worst defensive rating in the NBA.

That's one reason their 16-17 record feels a bit hollow. The Knicks have the 15th-best record in the league but rank 23rd in net differential (minus-3.5).

The good news for the Knicks is that their first seven opponents this month have a record of at or below .500. The opponents are a combined 31 games under .500.

So New York has a chance to bounce back. But, as Noah notes above, they need to find some answers on defense to do so.

Mixed bag for Rose: Derrick Rose had just one assist in 38 minutes against the Pelicans on Friday but tallied seven in 41 minutes against the Rockets on Saturday. The Knicks lost both games, so the assist totals were a minor footnote. But Rose’s ability to distribute the ball and orchestrate a competent offense has far-reaching implications for New York. The Knicks will have to decide if they want to re-sign Rose as a free agent this summer or ink him to an extension before he hits the market.

The take here is that it’s way too early to make any hard conclusions on a long-term commitment to Rose. But it’s worth noting that Jrue Holiday, who played well in a win over the Knicks and has had a strong season thus far, will be on the market as well. And if recent history is any indication, the Knicks may have interest in Holiday. Phil Jackson expressed interest in trading for Holiday earlier in his tenure as Knicks president, according to sources.

It’s unclear if Jackson's opinion on Holiday has changed. The Knicks are probably evaluating all of their options at this point and should be able to afford one of the top point guards on the market. With a few minor roster moves, they can create the cap space needed to offer a max contract this summer.

New year, same old Knicks: Saturday’s loss to the Rockets left the Knicks at a game under .500. The Knicks have entered the new year under .500 for four straight seasons and in 12 of the past 15 seasons overall (excluding the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season).

Each year has its own specific set of circumstances, but this year feels like a pivotal one for Jackson’s presidency. Jackson will have to decide what he wants to do at point guard -- which could have major implications for the future of the club -- and will have an important draft pick to make (the Knicks own their 2017 first-rounder).

The take here is that, whatever the Knicks do, they need to keep an eye on building a team around Kristaps Porzingis that’s ready to compete once LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry and the Warriors start to slow down. That will be their best chance to end their 40-plus season title drought.

It will be interesting to see if Jackson takes that approach -- or if he continues to put together teams built to compete in the present, as he did this season.