How good are the New York Knicks right now? Am I right?
About ten days into the season, the Knicks find themselves right at the top of the world, enjoying a 5-1 record and the top seed in the entire NBA. To be honest, it still feels pretty weird typing these words in a sequence.
The 2020-21 season was a very good time to be a Knicks fan. The team overachieved significantly and managed to get home-court advantage for the playoffs, though a first-round exit was the ultimate result.
The people up at the front office were able to build upon that success, by doing some major free agency moves. They inked almost every previous member of the team to multi-year contracts, as they have proved to the franchise that all of them belong in NY.
On top of that, they managed to bring in two elite scorers in Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. Last year, Julius Randle was looking a bit isolated on offense at times and, so far, this hasn’t even happened once this season.
The New York Knicks seem to have a pretty good thing going on here and will have to try and stay away from all the trade rumors around the league.
Highlights from a wire-to-wire W in New Orleans.
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 31, 2021
Barrett: 35 PTS / 8 REB / 6 AST / 6 3PM
Fournier: 19 PTS / 5 3PM / 2 STL
Walker: 19 PTS / 5 AST / 4 3PM / 4 STL
Gibson: 13 PTS / 7 REB
Randle: 10 PTS / 6 REB / 4 AST
Burks: 10 PTS / 3 REB pic.twitter.com/K6rFC3sKA2
From this very small sample of preseason and regular-season games, very few things can be said about the New York Knicks, or any team to be frank. But it has become clear to the naked eye, that Tom Thibodeau’s team is the definition of “strength in numbers”.
It doesn’t matter if it is Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Derrick Rose or somebody else, the Knicks always seem to have at least one member of their team ready to go off. And with the quality of defense Thibs has implemented onto this team, they have become very hard to beat.
During last season’s triumph of a season, fans around the league were surprised by the chemistry that this team showcased on the floor every night. By bringing in a native New Yorker at the starting point guard spot in Walker, the team’s spirit has gone through the roof.
Over the years, the Knicks have been the franchise most associated with trades throughout the season. Underperforming squads and journalists desperate to have their voice heard often lead to unnecessary drama in The Big Apple.
Turn back the clock to October 2020 and most fans, journalists and even members of the New York Knicks would have loved to see Julius Randle on another team, to make room for rookie Obi Toppin. Now look at him, the clear centerpiece of the team and approaching superstar status.
During this tremendous season that the Knicks had, many names got connected to them via trade. Zach LaVine, Bradley Beal and even James Harden at some point. But the management acted wisely and brought in Derrick Rose to silently improve the team under the radar.
Turn back the clock to a few weeks ago, and many people were talking about whether Mitchell Robinson was the correct choice at the center spot moving forward. He’s been a defensive anchor so far and is still finding his true previous self.
This group of guys seems to be working like a well-oiled machine. From the stars, all the way to the benchwarmers, everybody’s got a safe spot on the team. Have patience Knicks fans, things are looking up for once.