Grading the Knicks Regular Season

The New York Knicks wrapped up their regular season on Sunday with a win in Brooklyn. The Knicks have been playing out the string for the far-too-long 82-game campaign for a while now, as seeding wasn’t much of a concern for NY over the final month-plus. They finished with 51 wins, the most a Knicks squad has had since 2012-13 and the second-most since 1996-97. They improved their total wins from last year by one victory. This may seem disappointing considering the wholesale changes Leon Rose made to the roster last offseason. However, 51 wins is no small feat and placed them fifth in the overall league standings. As we turn our attention to the postseason, Knicks fans shouldn’t look past their excellence, especially considering the three decades of struggles for the franchise.

New York Struggled Against Elite Teams But Had a Very Good Year

There are a few reasons for the heavy negativity surrounding the 2025 Knicks. However, easily the biggest is their utter incompetence against the NBA’s top teams. New York was 0-10 vs. the Thunder, Cavaliers, and Celtics this season, who hold the league’s three best records. What makes this statistic worse is the likelihood that these three are NY’s pathway to a championship, and they haven’t even been competitive in these matchups.

Furthermore, Tom Thibodeau’s group is 0-6 against the Lakers, Clippers, and Warriors, who have been some of the hottest teams down the stretch. With that said, NY dealt with some tough circumstances in their 16 games vs. these contenders. Jalen Brunson missed four of those contests, Towns missed one, and six of them were on back-to-backs. I’d expect much better energy and effort as we enter the playoffs with a fully healthy and rested roster. Unfortunately, New York has no evidence that they can compete with the league’s best, but they have a perfect opportunity to prove themselves.

The Team Underachieved Given Expectations

After trading for OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns in the span of nine months, expectations entering the season were sky-high. So, when NY won “only” 51 games and was outclassed by their Eastern rivals, it felt like a massive disappointment. Rose’s group completely transformed their identity to an offense-first, weaker defensive squad, which was a far cry from the Thibs Knicks teams of the past. The Knicks of recent years have resonated better with the city for their toughness and underdog status, but this group is the best of them all.

Despite underachieving, New York still had the league’s fifth-best record, eighth-best net rating, and fifth-best offense. When Brunson was in the lineup, they had a top-three offense for most of the year. Their defense hovered in the high teens and low 20s all season but ranked eighth since Mitchell Robinson returned from injury. New York didn’t get to see the best of their offense combined with their peak defense with Robinson but will enter the playoffs fully healthy. The Knicks have a championship-level unit with their offense, which is more than most teams can say. The formula before the season was to have an elite offense and a passable defense, and they’ve accomplished that.

Playoffs Will Determine Whether the Trades Are Validated

Although Knicks fans enter the playoffs feeling disappointed rather than excited, they should be relieved. Their team just had the best year in over a decade and is one of the most talented in Knicks history. Yes, they have structural issues that hurt them in matchups with the league’s best. But NY will suit up for Game 1 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday with a fully healthy rotation. They have a chance to show that the regular season struggles were a fluke.

At the end of the day, no one will care about this regular season after the postseason. If New York can make a run through the East or at least be competitive with Boston and Cleveland, Rose’s trades will be justified. If they look soft and outclassed by their Eastern counterparts, tough questions will have to be asked about whether they did the right thing by changing identities. Nonetheless, everyone involved should remember that this is the new core’s first year together. It’s extremely rare for a team to win a championship in their first chance.

Final Grade: B

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