New York Knicks Season Preview
Since the Knicks moved on from Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire this team has been on the constant lookout for another superstar. They thought they acquired one when they got Julius Randle back in 2019. In his second year he led the Knicks to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. It was clear though that he wasn’t a superstar in the NBA after his next season.
Randle has made two All Star teams while he’s been with the Knicks for four years now going into his fifth season. The main reason for his second All Star appearance was Jalen Brunson. Brunson was another star that the Knicks brought in last year and it paid instant dividends for the team. The Knicks missed the playoffs in 2022 but were able to get back there last season behind the duo of Randle and Brunson.
Last year the Knicks won 47 regular-season games and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. It was a successful season but in New York it is championship or bust. To win a championship it has been proven that teams need at least one superstar. So far Randle and Brunson have been All Star caliber players but there is a difference between that and being a superstar.
That seems to be the Knicks’ main problem. This upcoming season projects to be another successful one in the eyes of many NBA franchises. Most publications expect the Knicks to finish as high as third or as low as seventh in the Eastern Conference. For most teams that would be a great season. For the Knicks it isn’t. No one has them as true championship contenders.
The Eastern Conference is undoubtedly the weaker conference of the two but the two teams with the best odds to win it all come from the East as well, and one of those isn’t the Knicks. This Knicks team projects to be good but just that. Good.
The ceiling for them is a second-round playoff appearance again. No one believes they have a chance to beat either Boston or Milwaukee in the playoffs. They may be the third-best team in the East but that is about as far as they should go barring any major injuries to other teams.
The Knicks will continue their search for another superstar player who can take them to the NBA Finals. Right now it appears they don’t have that on this roster. For this upcoming season expect the Knicks to win a lot of games and possibly even win a playoff series but not compete for an NBA championship.
By Jack Stradley, I’m a sports writer always looking for a gripping story and a hot take.