The New York Knicks were recently named as legitimate NBA Finals contenders in a 30-day, 30-team analytical preview series published by NBA.com.
The Knicks were labeled by Shaun Powell of NBA.com as the biggest threat to the Boston Celtics’ quest to win back-to-back championships in 2024-25, thanks in large part to their acquisition of Mikal Bridges this offseason. Powell had this to say about their season outlook:
“A championship is a realistic goal for a team built to win. Brunson, Randle, Anunoby, Bridges, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, Miles McBride … there’s depth, defense and an ability to excel in both half-court and up-tempo. The Knicks could very well be Boston’s biggest threat in the East,” Powell wrote.
Bridges gives the Knicks another 20-point-per-game scorer who stays healthy year in and year out. Should the injury bug metastasize throughout their locker room next season, they’ll have two proven scorers active if Jalen Brunson or Julius Randle is one of their All-Stars that escape the misfortunes that plagued them last season. That’s also a worst-case scenario.
Beyond the offensive side of the ball, the Knicks have a roster on paper that can challenge any team for being the best perimeter defense in the league next time out. Bridges — the former 2022 Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, joins 2023 steals leader OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, as well as emergent reserve contributor Miles McBride as a four-man unit that, when played together, can contain the most potent scoring attacks in basketball.
Their front from last year held teams to the ninth-fewest three-point makes per game (12.5 3PM) and kept teams off the free-throw line with the fourth-fewest attempts (19.8 FTA) at the charity stripe.
As Powell made mention of, the Knicks did lose valuable draft stock in the Bridges trade, but the invaluable impact that he will have in those defensive areas, and for a Knicks offense that went from shooting 35.4 percent from deep in 2022-23 to 36.9 percent last season and upped the ante from a ball-movement perspective, will be immeasurable.
The article also put a spotlight on Robinson, as the Knicks will need the league’s best offensive rebounder (4.6 OREB per game) from a year ago to contain the Celtics’ big man front of Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, as well as the other elite centers in the NBA in 2024-25. The Celtics share many things in common with the Knicks, but do have an advantage in the frontcourt that may put them over the top of New York yet again in 2024-25.
Nonetheless, if the Knicks can figure out their shot distribution scheme early, play elite defense as they are known to do, and make calculated moves across the board, from a coaching and front offense standpoint, they can make good on Powell’s assertions and potentially win the East next time around.
