The New York Knicks are being hyped up as serious title contenders after acquiring Mikal Bridges this offseason, but Shaquille O’Neal isn’t a believer in them. On The Big Podcast with Shaq, O’Neal said the hype comes from them being in New York.
“You know what it is? New York is a place that’s built on hype. That controls the hype,” O’Neal said. “They can hype everybody else up. They haven’t won s***… They’re nowhere close to winning a championship. They’re gonna win some games and do this, but I’m more impressed with, at the end of your career, how many championships you won.”
O’Neal does make a fair point about the hype that comes from being in New York, but I disagree with the 52-year-old on the Knicks being nowhere close to winning a championship. Do I believe they will win it all next season? No, but they are going to be among the best teams in the NBA.
The Knicks were the second seed in the East in 2023-24 with a 50-32 record and despite having an injury crisis in the postseason, were just one win away from making the Eastern Conference Finals. I think they’ll be even better next season with the addition of Bridges, but I wouldn’t put them at the top when ranking the title favorites.
The Knicks will be an elite defensive team, but I have some questions when it comes to their offense. They have a superstar in Jalen Brunson, who averaged 32.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 0.8 steals per game in the 2024 playoffs, but I don’t see another reliable offensive option on that roster come the postseason.
You’d think Julius Randle would be that, but he has struggled massively in the playoffs in his career (17.1 PPG on 34.4% shooting from the field). Meanwhile, Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Donte DiVincenzo are more suited to being that third scoring option than the second. That’s ultimately why I have the Boston Celtics in a tier above the Knicks in the East and you could also make a case for the Philadelphia 76ers to be ahead of them.
Draymond Green Thinks The Knicks Won’t Make The NBA Finals In The Next 3 Years
O’Neal isn’t the only four-time NBA champion to not be all that high on the Knicks. Draymond Green doesn’t believe the Knicks will even make the NBA Finals in the next three years.
“No, I do not think so. No,” Green said when asked if the Knicks will make the Finals in the next three years. “… I’ll tell you now, I don’t wanna see that team in the regular season, because they are going to be playing harder than nobody’s tomorrow… Defensively, that team is going to be tough. Like, tough, tough.
“And playing against a team like that during the regular season when you really don’t got time to prepare and then you go up against that defense? Man, that’s going to be hard,” Green continued. “It’s going to be very hard. Would not shock me if they get a No. 1 seed, No. 2 seed. Wouldn’t shock at all.
“But ultimately, I think when it comes down to winning the championship, you have to have guys who can get a bucket by any means necessary on anybody,” Green stated. “I don’t care who your defensive adjustment is, who you go to. That guy gotta be able to get a bucket on him in order to carry a team to a championship and their guys, you can make it tough on and so I don’t think so.”
Green has a lot of the same concerns I have. I think you can make it tough on offense for all of the Knicks players except Brunson. Also, for as good as the star guard is, he isn’t a generational offensive player who can single-handedly drag a team over the finish line. I think the Knicks could potentially make the Finals at some point, but I don’t see them winning the title.
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