NBA Power Rankings 2: Jordan Poole leads breakout candidates

Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors. Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images
Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors. Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images /
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15. team. 27. . . Previous: 14th. New York Knicks

The New York Knicks were one of the league’s surprise teams last year, blowing through their win predictions to land home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They consolidated those gains by retaining most of the veteran group that pushed them there while bringing in Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker.

All of this means that the team is leaning into winning now, which is completely fair given the Knicks’ recent inability to win consistently. It also means some of their young players will get marginalized. RJ Barrett will still start for this group, but Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson and Immanuel Quickley all sit behind veterans the team prioritized over them (not incorrectly for all but Robinson). If the Knicks can find a way to continue to bring those players along in a busy rotation, they will set themselves up for a most sustainable run moving forward.

Breakout Player: Immanuel Quickley. Last year perhaps no rookie was a bigger surprise than Immanuel Quickley, who went from draft-day reach to draft-day highway robbery. He displayed a deadly outside shot, good scoring instincts and enough defensive impact to survive. Kemba Walker and Derrick Rose now crowd the point guard room, but with injuries and rest days sure to fill those two’s calendar Quickley will get the chance to play at times during the regular season. He can parlay those by playing well into evidence so stark even Tom Thibodeau will have to make him a regular part of the rotation by the end of the year.