Over the past three years, the Knicks have built a roster made for championship contention. After their flurry of trades in 2024, they intended to join the NBA’s elite tier in 2024-25. Make no mistake, NY has enjoyed a successful campaign through 39 games. Their 25-14 record and +6.2 net rating both rank in the top five, and they’ve been an offensive juggernaut most of the time. However, New York has hit a rough patch after their nine-game winning streak. Losing four of five has been a reminder that these Knicks still have room to grow if they want to meet the championship standard. The Oklahoma City Thunder has showed them that standard twice in the span of a week.
Knicks Recent Slide A Reminder They Still Have Room To Grow
Heading into 2024-25, it was clear that while strong, this roster had several flaws that would need to be addressed. Every team has weaknesses, even the Thunder, Cavaliers, and Celtics, but New York’s have hurt them repeatedly in the first half of the season. GM Leon Rose was undoubtedly aware of these issues, and should prepare to try to make a move at the deadline. Unfortunately, the Knicks are strapped for cap room and draft capital after trades for Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby. Rose’s job will be difficult, but he has pulled off much tougher feats before (like bringing this entire franchise out of the cellar).
Lack Of Depth Will Be This Team’s Undoing
The conversation about Tom Thibodeau’s minutes distribution has become wearing at this point. Same goes for the discussion about the lack of quality players behind the starting five, but it’s an unavoidable hole. Paying five players at least $18M with the new CBA leaves almost no flexibility to sign roster depth, especially in one off-season or trade deadline. New York’s strategy made sense, as a team’s go-to five-man unit is their most important championship ingredient.
However, three of the teams that the Knicks are staring up at all have quality benches to rely on. In fact, OKC, Boston, and Cleveland have the three best second units in basketball by net rating. The Rockets, who also have a better record, are sixth. Meanwhile, New York ranks 10th, but has been much worse during their recent struggles. While they are outstanding, the Knicks’ starting unit is nowhere close to good enough to overcome this disadvantage.
Mitchell Robinson and Deuce McBride returning healthy will make a big difference, but New York should still look to add one or more guards/forwards to bolster the second unit. Not only will it allow them to compete when starters take a breather, but adding depth would help their best guys stay fresh for the postseason.
Knicks Wing Tandem Must Play Better
Tom Thibodeau’s group have many small fixes to make, including pick-and-roll defense, lack of rim protection, and how to handle double teams on Jalen Brunson without Isaiah Hartenstein in the pocket (His absence was felt as he suited up for OKC). However, this team will never reach their potential if Bridges and Anunoby do not show up more consistently.
After Bridges’ slow start, he played well in nearly every contest for over a month. From December 1 to January 7 (18 games), he averaged 21.9 points on 55.5% from the field and 39.2% from three. Anunoby, meanwhile, was excellent for the first 22 games, but has been stuck in a brutal shooting slump. He’s posted 14.4 points on 44.5/29.7 splits in his last 17 outings, mustering single digits seven times in that span.
Both players have locked in defensively since their lackluster start. New York desperately needs their wing duo to continue the defensive dominance. They also need to bring more consistency on the offensive end. Shooting slumps happen, but if the Knicks want any hope of bringing home a title, these guys must meet their potential.
Where To Go From Here
Luckily, the Knicks are an extremely talented team with a great coach and culture. They’re likely to be the East’s third seed with their 25-14 record, with much room to grow. Thibs’ group simply needs to make necessary adjustments and be more consistent. Leon Rose and company will add to the roster at the deadline as much as they can. They still have everything in front of them, and hope to be competing for the title come April.
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