The New York Knicks

2023-24 Season

Last season, the New York Knicks had an expected successful year. They finished second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 50-32, only behind the Boston Celtics who went 64-18. In the playoffs, the Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers in six games (best of seven), but in the second round they had a disappointing loss to the Indiana Pacers, despite winning the first two games. It was very likely that the Celtics would be the ones to come out on top in the East and win the NBA finals, but the Knicks were seen as the one team that could beat them. Unfortunately, they never got a chance to play the Celtics in the playoffs. However, despite an early exit, the Knicks were expected to only keep improving, year after year, to strive towards winning the finals.

2024 Off-season

In the 2024 off-season, the New York Knicks made many major changes to their roster while also maintaining some key players from the 2023-24 season. The most notable returning players were forward Josh Hart, forward OG Anunoby, point guard Jalen Brunson, sixth man Deuce Mcbride, and center Mitchell Robinson. Anunoby and Brunson were the only two players of that list to have a new resigning contract; the rest were still signed on existing contracts. OG Anunoby was signed for a whopping five-year $212 million contract and, shockingly, Brunson decided to take a $113 million salary cut on his contract down to a four-year $156 million deal instead of $269 million. The Knicks also had two big trades. First, they traded five first-round picks and backup shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic for Brooklyn Nets star shooting guard Mikal Bridges. Second, they traded for Minnesota Timberwolves offensive star center Karl-Anthony Towns in exchange for two former starters—guard Donte DiVincenzo and forward Julius Randle. In addition, the Knicks lost center Isaiah Hartenstein on a free agency to the Oklahoma City Thunder; he played a key role for the Knicks in the 2023-24 season. Overall, the general thoughts on the Knicks’ off-season were very positive, since the team was able to gain more offensive force through their trades for Bridges and Towns, but they also managed to maintain a good amount of their defensive personnel despite losing Hartenstein.

2024-25 Regular Season and Playoffs

In the regular season, the Knicks had a well balanced team in terms of offense and defense, but they weren’t completely consistent. The Knicks finished the season third in the east with a record of 51-3—a one game improvement from the previous season. They were just ahead of the Pacers in fourth (50-32) and were a decent ways behind the Celtics in second (61-21) and the Cleveland Cavaliers in first (64-18). Heading into the playoffs, many believed that the Eastern Conference Finals would be a matchup between the Cavaliers and the Celtics to see if the Cavaliers could be the ones in the east to finally stop them. 

In the first round, the higher-ranked teams won their series; the Knicks won in six against the Detroit Pistons. However, the second round proved to be a shock to everyone. The Knicks ended up defeating the Celtics in six and won the first two away games in Boston—both while overcoming 20 point deficits. Throughout the whole series, the Knicks were down 31 points in the first quarter, but they were up 24 points in the fourth quarter, including up nine and up 13 in Games 1 and 2, developing a habit for these comeback wins. The Knicks dropped a few big losses but were able to finish it off in dominant fashion at home, winning 119-81—their biggest playoff win in history—to bring them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. 

The Knicks played the Pacers as the higher ranked team, starting at home. However, things did not begin as expected, since the Knicks embarrassingly lost Game 1 on home-court. They were the first team to lose a game after being up nine with 50 seconds left in the game. With some luck and some faults by the Knicks, the Pacers managed to force overtime and win 138-135. This momentum translated into Game 2, when the Pacers won another close matchup 114-109.

The Knicks managed to find their way back into the series with some new rotation changes by utilizing their bench more, but it became clear that the Pacers’ fast tempo and offense tired out the Knicks’ defense; the Knicks’ offense also just couldn’t keep up. This was for all to see in Game 6 in Indiana, when the Pacers won the series with a couple of fast runs throughout the third and fourth quarter; the Knicks couldn’t come back when under the time crunch, losing 125-108. Unlike when they played the Celtics, the Knicks; defense was constantly struggling, which was partly why they were unable to hold onto big leads. The Knicks had at least 114 points in every game against the Pacers except for Game 5—which the Knicks had basically already won by the fourth quarter—and Game 3 when they won 106-100, outscoring the Pacers by 16 in the fourth quarter. Defense was clearly crucial throughout the playoffs, because it worked when the Knicks were able to make comebacks. However, when their defense struggled, they struggled to hold onto leads that should have been very easy wins. 

This year, the Knicks had two stars who were the major source of their offense: Towns and Brunson. In the regular season, Towns averaged 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists per game. In the playoffs, he kept these stellar performances up, averaging 21 points, 12 rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal per game over 18 playoff games. His most notable performance was in a must-win Game 3 against the Pacers, where he recorded 20 points in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks overcome a 20 point deficit. Meanwhile, Brunson averaged 26 points, three rebounds, and seven assists per game in the regular season. In the playoffs, through 18 games, he averaged 29 points, three rebounds, and seven assists per game. Brunson has a knack for clutching in the fourth quarter, setting a new record for most fourth quarter points in the first 10 games of the playoffs with 102, topping the previous record of 100 by Kobe Bryant. The Knicks missed their chance to make the finals and win their first championship since 1974, but they did prove that they are here to stay as one of the top teams in the East. They aren’t going anywhere.

Recent News

The Knicks already have massive news right after their season ending in the Conference Finals. On June 2, the Knicks made the decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau with no obvious reason or known replacements as of yet. Over his five seasons with the Knicks, Thibodeau took them to the playoffs four times, won one coach of the year award, and brought the team to the Conference Finals once (this season). However, there has long been controversy over Thibodeau’s coaching style; many criticize his inability to utilize his bench as well as his lack of rotation. He developed a tendency to overuse starters, which forced burnout amongst many of his key players. For instance, Bridges played every game during the season and averaged 37 minutes per game (out of 48). Against the Pacers, it was extremely obvious that this Knicks team was completely depleted, unable to match the Pacers’ high tempo. This forced the Knicks to start using their bench more during the playoffs, but the lack of minutes many players received made it difficult for them to adjust to the playing style, while the Pacers had a more fluid rotation and a more developed bench with more chemistry. Tom Thibodeau was definitely very beneficial to the Knicks during his coaching time; the team and fans realize this, but it doesn’t appear that he is the one to bring them a championship.

The New York Knicks Future

There is no reason to suggest that the Knicks will stop here. The Knicks already have many of their most important players on contracts lasting through the 2026-27 season, including Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, McBride, Hart, and Towns. Overall, the Knicks appear to be here to stay. They have all the resources and talent to compete in the NBA finals for the next couple of years.