The Knicks: Finally a True Contender
For the first time in my lifetime, I do not feel like a moron for believing the Knicks have a legit chance at winning a championship. It’s an exciting feeling to not be delusional for once, and I’m not sure if I will ever get used to it. But one thing the rest of the NBA should get used to for the foreseeable future is the tough brand of basketball the Knicks will be bringing night in and night out. Last year’s team was able to secure the 2 seed in the Eastern Conference despite missing Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson for large portions of the season. While the team was eliminated by the scrappy Pacers in the second round of the playoffs, it took numerous injuries to the Knicks for them to be eliminated. Bojan Bogdanovic, Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, and OG Anunoby were all out and Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were severely banged up. Despite all of that, the Knicks went to 7 games in that series. That reflects the tough, gritty culture the Knicks have instilled in their players. While I’m not the biggest fan of Tom Thibodeau, he knows how to get the best out of his players. And now with one of the deepest rosters in the league, I think Thibs’ biggest flaw might solve itself.
I and many NBA fans have pointed out the obvious flaw in Thibodeau’s coaching style regarding the heavy minutes he puts on his players. Seemingly regardless of the score, his star players are bound to play a majority of the game. Josh Hart basically never left the court in the postseason until an injury forced it. Even in late game blowouts, Knicks stars are often still playing meaningless minutes. At times last year one could argue he was forced to do so due to limited options caused by injuries. I don’t buy that argument myself, but nevertheless he has even less reasons to continue this strategy this season as the Knicks roster is stacked outside of backup center (there are rumors they are looking to trade for one currently, so there’s a solid chance the front office addresses this). The starting five is seemingly set at Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Randle, and Robinson. And then the first three off the bench are Hart, DiVincenzo and McBride. For the first time in multiple seasons the Knicks have legit rookies to be excited for in Tyler Kolek and Pacome Dadiet, as well. With a roster like that, there is no reason for the starters to see heavy workloads during the regular season. The playoffs I’m fine with Thibs restricting the rotation a bit and loading up on his stars, as players are already playing banged up at that point for the most part. But his tendency to have guys average 34-36 minutes a night throughout the duration of the regular season has to stop.
The exciting factor about the Knicks deep rotation as well, is the fact that almost all of the players can hold their own defensively (something that must be mouth-watering for Thibodeau). Anunoby, Bridges, Robinson, and Hart I trust to play very good to elite-level defense. And DiVincenzo, McBride, and occasionally Randle can hold their own on this half of the court too. The only player that I view as a defensive liability is Brunson, but he offers so much offensively that I can overlook some of his shortcomings. This level of defensive competency should provide nightmares for other teams throughout the regular season who won’t be able to fully prepare for the defensive looks coming their way. The postseason will be a different story as coaching staffs can put their full focus on the Knicks, but even then I have a hard time imagining a roster going off versus this team. The only other lineup I see that can compete defensively with the Knicks is the reigning champion Boston Celtics.
Not only will the Celtics be dangerous defensively, but of course offensively as well with the lethal duo of Tatum and Brown. The 76ers will also be good, but their roster as a whole doesn’t scare me as a Knicks fan. Additionally, I don’t trust Paul George or Joel Embiid to be fully healthy (or even somewhat healthy) come playoff time, so it's basically about containing Maxey at that point (hard, I know, but if he’s the sole threat I feel comfortable). A healthy Bucks roster is nice as well, but I don’t see the same level of bench depth as the Knicks or Celtics. That said, I see the Knicks team closely behind the Celtics in the pecking order of the Eastern Conference. That would be a blockbuster playoff series and I fully expect one of those two teams to represent the East in the Finals this upcoming year.
As a Knicks fan, that possibility is more than enough to get me hype for the season. Hell, I’ve been thrilled for far less talented Knicks rosters. But now that I can root for a legit championship contender, I am desperate for the season to start.
