The New York Knicks have made it clear that nothing short of an NBA Championship will satisfy them this season. Despite the team not having made an NBA Finals in 27 years, the franchise believes the roster they’ve put together this season, after aggressive trades in the last few years, is good enough to bring another banner to Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks earned the No. 3 seed this season with a 53-29 record, which could be considered underwhelming given that many considered them the favorites in the East this season. They don’t look like favorites right now, but it’s hard to conclusively pick one team to come out of the East this season. There is no reason why the Knicks can’t be the ones to emerge out of the East if they can handle business on the court.
The Knicks have already won their first game of the NBA Playoffs, and will be hoping that their impressive roster can maintain this momentum and make it all the way to the NBA Finals.
Starters
Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns
The Knicks have one of the best starting fives in the NBA. They’re led by point guard Jalen Brunson, who averaged 26.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in the regular season. He led the Knicks in scoring in their Game 1 win, which highlights his importance to New York’s offense in the postseason. While there have been rumors of his over-indulgent usage creating issues in the locker room, that didn’t look like a problem in this win.
Brunson is joined by his former college roommate, Josh Hart, in the backcourt, with Hart averaging 12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this season. He has been one of their best performers over the second half of the season, as his ability to stretch the floor, defend multiple positions, and outmaneuver centers for rebounds all make him an integral glue piece for the franchise. Hart is the longest-tenured member of this starting five, which highlights how important he’s been to the Knicks over the last few seasons.
Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby form one of the best defensive wing duos in the NBA, especially when it comes to guarding the perimeter. Mikal averaged 14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in the regular season, with his offense looking like it has regressed. Conversely, Anunoby stepped up offensively, averaging 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists over the regular season. Bridges and Anunoby are capable of defending almost all star players in the NBA, so the Knicks will rely on them heavily to ensure the franchise can succeed in the postseason.
The lineup is rounded out by star center Karl-Anthony Towns, who averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds over the regular season. He’s looked the most out-of-place in the Knicks rotation this season, butting heads with coach Mike Brown multiple times. However, his 25-point performance in Game 1 shows how much of an impact he can make if given the opportunity.
This is a deadly starting five that has virtually no holes. They have two high-volume scorers in different positions with different play-styles, while the three players completing the lineup are all elite defenders who can space the floor and contribute in a multitude of ways.
Bench
Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson, Jose Alvarado, Mohamed Diawara, Ariel Hukporti, Tyler Kolek, Jeremy Sochan, Pacome Dadiet
The Knicks’ bench is potentially their biggest weakness in the Playoffs, as they’re relying on an eclectic group of contributors to ensure that production doesn’t trail off when any of their starters are subbed out. The first name off the bench will likely be backup guard Miles McBride, who’s averaged 12.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in a season plagued by injuries.
Mitchell Robinson is the longest-tenured Knick on the roster and is expected to play a big role as Towns’ backup center, with the team even using him in lineups alongside Towns to make them as big as possible. He’s averaging 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks this season, proving why the Knicks have never seriously considered trading him away for a better player or one in a similar role. Robinson is effective and will be a core member of the Playoff rotation off the bench.
The Knicks have four on-ball guard options off the bench: McBride, Jordan Clarkson, Jose Alvarado, and Tyler Kolek. Clarkson, Alvarado, and Kolek will be fighting to get into the guard rotation behind Brunson and McBride. Clarkson is averaging 8.6 points while Alvarado has averaged 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists since joining the team. Kolek has had impressive moments, but the second-year guard, averaging 4.4 points and 2.7 assists, is unlikely to get a featured role anyway.
There is also a lack of quality wing options off the bench, with the best in New York being Landry Shamet. Shamet is averaging 9.3 points this season and is a reliable 3-and-D player. Jeremy Sochan also joined the team in the winter and has averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in limited minutes since. Shamet and Sochan are bound to get minutes if the team intends on rotating Hart, Bridges, and Brunson, especially in the later rounds.
Closing Lineup
Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns
There’s no need to mess around with one of the best five-man units in the NBA. The Knicks will rely on their starting five to close games as well for them, although some matchup or situational changes might be made. The team could add another scorer like McBride when they need it, having the luxury to sub out any underperforming starter. The same could apply to Robinson off the bench in terms of defense and rim protection.
Teams show consistency with the five players they choose to start a game, but the real mettle of a coach comes from how he reacts to live-game situations and implements adjustments in real-time. Coach Mike Brown will have to find ways to make this bench useful, instead of just throwing out combinations and praying someone has a hot hand.
Road To The NBA Finals
The Knicks have already opened their Playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, picking up a 113-102 win in Game 1. They’ll be home for another game, where they’ll hope to take a 2-0 lead before heading to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4. The Knicks look like the favorites to win the series right now. If they do seal the series win, they’ll be heading into a second-round matchup against the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks would have home-court advantage against the 76ers but not against the Celtics. Naturally, they’d stand a better chance to beat a troubled 76ers team that’s dealt with injuries all season than a Celtics squad that looked like one of the best teams in the NBA before franchise superstar Jayson Tatum even returned to the court.
The Conference Finals will lead to a matchup with one of four teams on the other side of the bracket. These include No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons, No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers, No. 5 seed Toronto Raptors, and No. 8 seed Orlando Magic. Beating any of these teams will be challenging for the Knicks, given their strong defensive framework, but most would have them as the favorites against teams like the Raptors and Magic, while the Cavs and Pistons could be a much trickier challenge.
