This is what happens when you go nil-for-three.
Just when we all thought the Knicks had finally clicked on all cylinders and a serious postseason run was more than probable by the time we hit May and June, New York decided to throw it all down the kitchen sink.
Barring a win over the Jazz on New Year, the Knicks tanked their way down the power rankings, this win following that victory with three consecutive losses against the best-in-the-Association Thunder (acceptable), a surging-but-still-mediocre Bulls (questionable), and a barren-of-starters Magic (embarrassing).
Here’s a roundup of all the power rankings posted at different outlets through Tuesday’s matchups, capturing the national perception of the Knicks among the basketball elite.
Note: I have included a +/- next to each rank, with a minus sign (-) meaning dropping down and a plus sign (+) meaning climbing up X spots compared to last week’s position on that outlet.
NBA — No. 4 — New York Knicks (-1)
John Schuhmann of NBA.com dropped New York one place after moving the team into his top-3 a week ago, making room for the Celtics to jump back into it.
As always, Schuhmann didn’t factor Monday’s slate of games into his power rankings, which this week certainly benefited New York as they dropped a silly game against the depleted Magic.
“The Knicks’ rise from the bottom 10 to 13th (through Thursday) in defensive efficiency was certainly aided by the schedule, a stretch where they played 14 of 20 games against teams that currently rank in the bottom 10 offensively. They allowed 124.3 points per 100 possessions over the two weekend losses (against the league’s eighth and 14th-ranked offenses), including 139 on 98 (142 per 100) after halftime.
“Josh Hart had 16 rebounds and 10 assists in Chicago on Saturday, playing more than 40 minutes for the fourth straight time. But he shot 0-for-5, scoring in single-digits for the second time in his 35 games, with both of those instances having come in losses to the Bulls. He still ranks third in effective field goal percentage (63.3%) among 152 players with at least 250 field goal attempts, a pretty incredible recovery from a career-low mark of 49.3% last season.
“As indicated by Hart’s minutes, the Knicks’ rotation remains short — so much so that Precious Achiuwa and Karl-Anthony Towns have been playing together (including almost 18 minutes together on Saturday) on the frontline. Those double-big minutes have been pretty good, with the Knicks outscoring their opponents by 11.6 points per 100 possessions (and dominating the glass) in Achiuwa and Towns’ 112 total minutes on the floor together.” — John Schuhmann
The Celtics moved up one place while the OKC Thunder—who beat New York recently—moved up to the no. 1 spot overtaking the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Athletic — No. 6 — New York Knicks (-2)
Law Murray of The Athletic dropped the Knicks twice the amount of places his fellow journo from the official NBA site did, moving New York from Tier 1 down to Tier 2: In a Good Place.
For the first ranking of the new year, The Athletic decided to name one resolution for each team after dropping a time capsule from each organization in the last rankings of 2024.
In the case of the Knicks, it was “More Karl-Anthony Towns dishes,” which is good but wouldn’t solve New York’s major problem for the last week.
“The Knicks are 6-0 this season when Towns has more than five assists in a game. It’s not one of the things at the top of what makes Towns special. But Towns has enjoyed finding his teammates, and New York is a better team when Towns excels as a facilitator.” — Law Murray
With New York falling a couple of spots, the Grizzlies (no. 4) and the Rockets (no. 5) jumped up one spot each in Law’s ranking and into Tier 1: Top Contenders.
ESPN — No. 4 — New York Knicks (-1)
The ESPN panel released their rankings on Wednesday morning before the Knicks take on the Raptors later today.
The flavor in this edition of their rankings had to do with the upcoming trade deadline, which is just a month away, and the outlet tasked each writer with the job of coming up with a potential deal to be completed in the next few weeks, whether it’s more or less realistic.
Given the Knicks’ depth issues and the lack of an steadily available a d playable backup five, that’s where ESPN landed with their trade idea.
“The Knicks have gotten fewer minutes and less scoring production out of their bench than any other team and could benefit from another reserve big man. Wing minutes are largely covered by Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. But having a big, reliable center behind Karl-Anthony Towns — other than 6-foot-8 Precious Achiuwa — will be vital, and Mitchell Robinson’s health has been a question for a while. A 7-footer like Washington’s Jonas Valanciunas is far from perfect on defense, but would fill a need.” — Chris Herring
Due to New York’s drop, the Celtics regained their status as a top 3 team in the eyes of Stephen A. Smith’s honchos.
What are your thoughts on the ranks above? Where do you have the Knicks ranked after they split their first six games of the season? Drop your hot takes in the comments section below!