Last Week: (L) to ORL, (W) over PHI, (W) over CHI, (W) over NOP
The New York Knicks have been barnstorming teams out of the gate, and they forced their way up this list. I wanted to place them lower, but outside of one stinker against the Magic where Orlando shot the lights out, the Knicks have five wins over some good teams and sit first in the Eastern Conference.
Their win over the Chicago Bulls was especially impressive given that the Bulls are otherwise undefeated. Randle has kept last season’s gains, trading in a little efficiency and volume for an absolutely impressive 11.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. RJ Barrett is likewise just as good if not better than a season ago, and Kemba Walker has righted the ship after a cold start and is now shooting 50 percent from the field.
Scares Me: Thibs running stars into the ground. Julius Randle is averaging 37.3 minutes per game. Barrett is at 34.3 and Evan Fournier 33.2. This is a very deep team now, with backup options at every position. If Tom Thibodeau can stop himself from killing his own players, this team should be able to continue winning with a more balanced rotation to save his stars for the postseason.