How good are the New York Knicks?

The New York Knicks are NBA champions… well, NBA Cup champions. That is not what we are here to talk about but congrats to the end of the bench guys who made over $500,000 for winning it. Them winning the cup was not an accident like it maybe was for the Bucks or Lakers when they won. No, the New York Knicks are really good and should be heavy favorites in the Eastern Conference.

When the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau it was for a few reasons but one of them was to make their offense more unpredictable and more dynamic. Mike Brown has done that. One way New York has remade their offense is that they get up more three pointers. Last season, the Knicks were 28th in three point rate (37% of their shots were threes) and 24th in made three pointers per game (12.6). This season those numbers have spiked, they are 7th in the NBA in three point rate (44%) and 4th in the NBA in made threes per game (15.1). Welcome to the NBA in 2025, New York Knicks! Generating more threes and more made threes is a good way to generate better offense. Their shots at the rim are down, New York is shooting 28.6 shots per game less than 5 feet from the rim compared to 30.7 last season but their offense has been better this year than it was a year ago.

Cleaning the Glass filters out garbage time when keeping stats (I have definitely mentioned this before but I wanted to refresh your memory). Last season, the Knicks scored 119.5 points per 100 possessions, which was 5th in the NBA. This year that number has jumped to 123.9 points per 100 possessions, which is 2nd in the NBA and would have been first by a lot last season. Their net rating has jumped from 6th at +5.2 to 3rd at +9.5. Aside from adding Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek figuring it out a little, New York didn’t add anything this offseason roster wise. They just got a new coach and Mike Brown is paying the dividends early for New York.

Mitchell Robinson’s health has been a huge factor to New York’s success as well. He is a one man offensive rebounding machine. With Robinson on the court this season, the Knicks are rebounding 42.7% of their misses, 14.3% better than when Robinson is not on the floor. Robinson himself is grabbing 26.1% of those misses per Cleaning the Glass. That is the highest percentage in the NBA, Steven Adams is 2nd in the league at 22.8%. He is a one man wrecking crew on the offensive glass, something that has become far more valuable in the league as more and more teams try and get as many possessions as possible. New York is 4th in the NBA in offensive rebounding at 32.1% and Robinson is the reason for it.

There was a thought that the Knicks would use Jalen Brunson less this season and that has not been true. Sure, they have been more creative in setting up his touches but those touches remain the same. Last season Brunson’s usage rate was 32.4%, this season it is 33.1%. Last season Brunson ran 9.4 pick and rolls per game as the ball handler, this year he is at 9.5. It is not a bad thing, Brunson is really good and so important to the fabric of what New York does offensively (they would be a disaster without him) but they aren’t using him less like some people thought they might.

New York’s defense is not their strong suit but that does not mean they have a bad defense. Ranked 12th in the NBA, giving up 114.4 points per 100 possessions, New York’s defense is built around OG Anunoby. Anunoby is having an elite all around season averaging 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game on 49% from the field and 41% from three. It is the defensive end where he impacts New York the most. In 700 minutes with Anunoby not on the court, the Knicks are giving up 118.3 points per 100 possessions, per PBP Stats. In 500 minutes with Anunoby on the court, the Knicks are giving up 109.6 points per 100 possessions. He changes New York’s defense like an elite rim protecting center changes their team's defense. OG Anunoby should be an All-Star and has a legit Defensive Player of the Year case.

We have talked a lot about a Giannis trade and I don’t think one is coming this season. These types of trades are hard to do mid-season because reshaping a roster in the middle of a season is tricky. There are other moves the Knicks could make to help their team. What does Guerschon Yabusele and future Wizards 2nd round picks get you? I am not expecting the Knicks to be overly aggressive on the trade market.

New York is the best team in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland is a mess, I don’t trust the Pistons, can Paolo and Franz stay healthy in Orlando and no one else has separated themselves from the rest of the pack. It is not guaranteed the Knicks win the east but they are the favorites right now. With that said, I don’t think they are on the level of the Thunder, Nuggets or Rockets. To me, those three teams have separated themselves from everyone else in the whole league and while the Knicks are good and probably the 4th best team right now, I can’t say they are as good as those three.

A lot changes in the NBA but one thing I don’t think will change is that the New York Knicks are really good. They have an identity with their best players and have found ways to win games this season. The NBA Cup champions have a lot more they want to accomplish this season.