There’s no way to sugarcoat it: the New York Knicks hit a low point over the weekend. After back-to-back blowout losses to the two teams above them in the East standings, the sky is falling in the Big Apple. Critics from every corner of the media are demolishing the team, giving them no chance to turn the ship around. While people have every reason to doubt this squad after falling to 0-7 against the NBA’s top three contenders, the season is not yet over. New York still has time to figure things out. Here are some positives about the Knicks during their toughest moment of the year.
Some Positives for the Knicks After Troubling Losses
They Should Be Healthy Soon
Perhaps the biggest reason to remain optimistic about the Knicks’ chances is that they’re nowhere near a finished product. OG Anunoby and Josh Hart just returned from nagging injuries. Anunoby in particular hasn’t looked close to his normal self yet, but that will certainly come with time. More importantly, Mitchell Robinson is expected to make his season debut within the next week or so, which could solve many problems for New York.
Reporting for NBA Countdown on ABC — New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is closing in on his season debut: pic.twitter.com/iFJYjIriPe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2025
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Robinson’s presence may transform Tom Thibodeau’s defense into the unit we all expected coming into the season. While the seven-footer cannot fix New York’s matchup issues with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, he will clean up messes at the rim when these guys do get beat. He’s also a versatile defender capable of guarding on the perimeter, taking away that weapon from opposing teams. Lastly, Robinson is one of the best rebounders in basketball. His physicality and athleticism help the Knicks return to their usual identity, which is desperately needed for a squad that currently looks meeker than ever. If the Knicks’ top seven guys can be fully healthy in the postseason, they cannot be counted out.
The Team is Clearly Tired and Can Play Much Better
It seems cliche to say, but Thibodeau’s bunch is simply exhausted right now. They’d never admit it, but the low energy they’ve played with for the majority of the last month says it all. Much of this decline in effort can be explained by the injuries and lack of depth that has forced Thibs to play his starters absurd minutes this season. New York isn’t competing in any facet of the game right now, a far cry from the relentless intensity they’ve held for the past five campaigns.
This team can just be sharper in so many ways. Fighting over screens, closing out to shooters, running back in transition, and getting matched up defensively have all been weaknesses. NY isn’t talented enough to be lazy on the details when matched up with Boston, Cleveland, and OKC, and these past two games have proven that. Even their offensive process has been extremely sloppy. Players have constantly been out of position and are relying on Brunson and Towns to work magic on every possession. It’s not a sustainable formula, but they can easily clean it up by the playoffs.
It’s Only Year 1 of this Core
Listen, Knicks fans don’t want to hear this, and the team is certainly not thinking this way. The standard should always be winning a championship when you have a roster this talented, and this year’s no different. However, these things do take time. Other than the Kevin Durant-Warriors superteam, hardly any core wins a title together in their first season. Even the LeBron James–Dwyane Wade-Miami Heat took over a year to figure things out. This new core that Leon Rose threw together in less than a calendar year may need multiple seasons and playoff defeats before they crack through to win a championship, and there’s no shame in that.
After seeing how this year plays out, New York may even need to consider another trade. This is all hypothetical, as there are still 25 games left before the playoffs. Maybe Thibodeau gets his guys back and figures out how to turn this ship around. At the end of the day, the Knicks are a top-five team in basketball without a core player above 29. They’ll have multiple chances at this. It’s not easy to hear, but fans may have to exercise a little more patience.
Photo credit: © Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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