The New York Knicks had a successful first half to their season, as they entered the All-Star break with a 36-18 record and in the third seed of the Eastern Conference standings. Despite that, many would agree that they are far from a perfect team and still have major flaws that will stand out in a playoff series.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst doesn’t believe the Knicks can go on a deep playoff run
Additionally, many feel that they are still a tier below the best of the East such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is one of those people, as he gave a harsh assessment directed toward the Knicks’ chances of making a deep playoff run.
“I’m not staying up nights worrying about the Knicks,” said Windhorst, via ESPN Cleveland. “In all honesty, I don’t think that they’re equipped right now to win the 12-game playoff games to win the East. Their team screams to me, great regular season team.”
In a way, Windhorst’s take has some validity to it. The Knicks’ biggest weakness is far and beyond their depth, as injuries to key players such as Mitchell Robinson have left their bench unit depleted. Luckily for them, their starting five has stayed mostly healthy all season, but the lack of depth has forced them to play big minutes in games that are, in a vacuum, less meaningful than playoff games.
The Knicks are heavily relying on their starters this season
The Knicks ran into that problem last season when several players went down due to injuries. Though last year’s team was much deeper and able to muster their way to the second round, this time around will be much different given their lack of depth in the second unit.
In comparison, the Cavaliers and Celtics have deep teams with players who can serve as good backups for starters who either struggle in games or get injured. That’s arguably what separates them from the Knicks, as their depth allows them to throw many different options onto the floor and create a balanced scoring attack that is tough to slow down.
The Knicks’ starting five is well-equipped for the postseason. Led by two All-Stars in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, their starting five has the perfect combination of scoring, defense, and playmaking, and they are a group that looks unstoppable on some nights.
However, the starters can’t play all 48 minutes every game, and the more time they spend off the floor, the more they tend to struggle. Things could change significantly down the final stretch of the season, but it is clear that New York has a lot to prove in these final 28 games of the regular season heading into the playoffs.