The Knicks had a whirlwind of an offseason, shocking the NBA world by trading for Mikal Bridges, but now recovering from losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Although it’s not over yet, we largely have an idea of what the top teams in the East will look like, and can analyze how the Knicks stack up with them.
First, let’s establish how much of a leap New York has taken this summer. The biggest boost will be the return of a healthy Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, the former missing the entirety of their 2024 playoff run.
Randle brings All-NBA production, a potent secondary offensive engine behind Jalen Brunson, and has the skillset to supplement some of the Hartenstein-centered actions. A healthy Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson set them up to be a top defensive squad.
The addition of Bridges gives the Knicks yet another wing weapon, someone that made an All-Defensive Second Team two years ago and is a reliable shooter and secondary creator. He’s a hand-in-glove fit culture-wise and on the court, and should make New York sure-fire contenders.
Their competition will be stiff.
Boston Celtics
Boston is still the cream of the crop, coming off a dominant championship run and offseason that saw them extend their entire core. The Knicks’ acquisition of Bridges was definitely pointed towards the Celtics, trying to match their wing depth and close the gap between them.
The good news is while New York wasn’t at Boston’s caliber last season, they’ve clearly improved while the Celtics should be about what they were. Whether the gap has fully closed is tough to project.
Milwaukee Bucks
We didn’t see the full extent of Milwaukee’s potential to close last season, as Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the first round of the playoffs, dropping the series to Indiana. The Knicks did beat a largely-healthy Bucks team late in the regular season, though, without Randle.
Given their regular season finish, additions to their team, and Milwaukee’s relative inactivity this summer, it shouldn’t be a stretch to think New York is the superior team. They have a laundry list of defensive wings to throw at the Bucks, are on the better side age-wise, and have more strength off the bench.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Knicks proved themselves superior to the pre-cap space Sixers, even without Randle. Returning him and adding Bridges are big separators, however Philly responded with the headline signing of Paul George.
Philly arguably has the better top three talent wise, but is more fragile to injuries and boasts an unproven combination. Will George do the dirty work required and pick his spots offensively or take looks away from the Tyrese Maxey–Joel Embiid combination that was so tough to stop?
One big driver will be how the Sixers fill out their roster. A trade for Dorian Finney-Smith rounds out their rotation nicely and makes this a real question.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs likely aren’t done making moves after extending Donovan Mitchell, effectively keeping them in the championship hunt. While they found some working rotation patterns last year, injuries and some disappointing individual seasons from their young core held them back.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson is a nice pickup, but he alone likely won’t propel Cleveland ahead of New York with its improvement. They could be in the hunt for a wing upgrade, or may flip a key starter to shake things up, but as of right now the Knicks are comfortably in the lead.
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