Week 6 NBA Power Rankings: 13. New York Knicks (11-9)
Rank last week: 15th
Last week: (2-2) – @ CHI (L), vs. LAL (W), vs. PHX (L), @ ATL (W)
Offensive rating: 107.8 (16th in NBA)
Defensive rating: 108.0 (17th in NBA)
The New York Knicks haven’t gone on any huge runs this year, but they’ve been able to stay consistent, which is huge. At least in the sense of staying a game or two above .500 at most times.
It’s been a team effort over the past week, with seven different players averaging double-digit points. Julius Randle still led the way, though, putting up just under 18 points a night.
Evan Fournier has finally begun to figure things out, too. He’s been an absolute flamethrower from behind the arc in their past four games.
However, Kemba Walker has continued to struggle. He only averaged 10 points last week, and young guard Immanuel Quickley looks to be gunning for some of his minutes.
Season outlook: The Knicks sacrificed some of their defense last year in favor of adding some offensive-minded players. That hasn’t worked out super well for them, but they are figuring things out on the fly. New York should definitely be a playoff team, and they could make some noise in the first round.