Last Season: 41-31, 4th in Eastern Conference
The New York Knicks were expected to finish at the bottom of the standings last season, but instead everything came together (breakout seasons, health, poor opponent shooting, vintage Tom Thibodeau coaching) for not only a winning season but home-court advantage in the playoffs. While they did lose in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks found confidence in their step forward.
They sought to take the next step this offseason, re-signing many of those key contributors to reasonable deals and adding Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to completely revamp the starting backcourt. Sprinkle in improvement from their young players such as RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin, and it’s reasonable for the Knicks to think they can balance out the coming regression and stick around the same level for next season.
Key Offseason Move: Signing Kemba Walker. The Knicks lacked a dynamic on-ball player who could create shots for himself and others. They could have tried to get by, as they did last year, with a committee approach. Adding Walker gives the Knicks a player who can run the offense and allow the team to scheme up opportunities for Julius Randle off-ball; it should also allow Randle to reach the end of games with more wind.
The downside for signing Walker is that he truly is a player with little less, that his knee injuries are too debilitating. Those odds seem genuinely low, however, and it’s just as likely, if not more so, that he can start the season fully healthy for the first time in a couple of years and play like he did just two seasons ago, when teams were sending doubles his way. In that case, the bargain deal the Knicks signed him to will look even better.