Coming off their most successful season in almost a decade, the Knicks will trot out basically the same team they did a year ago, looking to compete with the best of the best in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks took the Eastern Conference champions from a year ago to six games in the semifinals before being eliminated. That concluded their first season with their new leader, Jalen Brunson. Brunson is everything the Knicks could've hoped for out of a guy who they signed to a 4-year contract in the 2022 offseason and is looking to have yet another big season this year.
The question surrounding the Knicks, and seems to always surround the Knicks, is when will they land the big superstar that New York has been waiting for ever since the departure of Carmelo Anthony. They certainly have the assets both in players and an ample supply of draft picks for years to come.
Brunson is great and has proven himself as one of the best guards in the league, but he needs some extra help to get this team to their final goal. The surrounding pieces around Brunson consist of most notably Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Mitchell Robinson. The core radius of the Knicks is made up of by these four players and although they had great regular seasons, some didn't show up when the brights shined the most.
What I mean by the brights shined the most is the playoffs. The first round was great and everyone played to their fullest potential to take the series in 5 games from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then came the struggles in the series against the Heat and we saw how vulnerable this Knicks team can be outside of mainly Jalen Brunson.
To the eyes of many, the Knicks are caught up in the middle as they are not bad enough to land a good draft pick, but yet not good enough to be labelled a contender. This year they march out essentially the same team besides the subtraction of Obi Toppin and addition of Donte DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo is exactly the type of player this team needed in the series against Miami as he can go out there and be a consistent knockdown three-point shooter.
The Knicks do indeed have one of the deepest benches in the league with Immanuel Quickley, Isiah Hartenstein, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart headlining this stacked bench. Those are just a few names in this rotation and DiVincenzo adds to that depth with his acquisition this offseason.
At the same time, while DiVincenzo does improve this team, he does not make them a contender. So that will be the question this season for the Knicks, when will they pull the trigger and acquire that superstar to pair Jalen Brunson with. There have been many names floating around the Knicks, but no solid discussions have really made their course.
I'm excited to see if the Knicks make any bold decisions this season and go all in for a guy that can take them to the promise land, or sit back and remain stable as the unit they are now. The Knicks are definitely a playoff team, and can win a series or two, but they are not at that contender level just yet.
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