Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are among those highlighted in the survey.
If you go back and check the history of the NBA’s GM survey (I recommend it for a rainy day; the old ones about rookies are fun), there was a noticeable lack of mention of the Knicks in the late 2010s. That makes sense, as the questions are usually superlative, and I don’t think Allonzo Trier would be showing up on those.
Rejoice, fellow Knicks fans, as the Knicks are relevant enough to have names all over this list, from best leader to most switchable defender to the best home-court advantage. There are 50 questions, so if you want the full list of results, here you go:
Team Predictions
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Surprise, surprise. The Boston Celtics are not only overwhelming favorites to win the Eastern Conference, but 83% of executives chose them to repeat as champions. As a result, the Knicks did not get a vote to be the first seed or win the NBA Finals.
97% of executives picked the Celtics to have the best record in the East. Who got the other vote? Cleveland. Huh?
80% of executives had the Knicks as a top-three seed for next season, with 14% picking fourth and 6% thinking they’d be fifth or worse. In terms of total percentage share, the Knicks were picked to be the #2 seed, just a hair over the 76ers. Second-round rematch, anyone?
In the West, OKC dominated the poll and got second place in the NBA champion poll. Eight teams got a top-four vote, including the Grizzlies, Pelicans, and Warriors. Minnesota has essentially the same distribution as the Knicks, split between 2 and 3.
Players
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic were favorites for the MVP. Unfortunately, no Knick was mentioned. 77% of executives said that they’d pick Wemby to start a franchise and honestly, I agree. Nobody picked a Knick to have a breakout season, but that poll is extremely vague.
Jalen Brunson was voted as the fourth-best point guard in the NBA with 10% of the vote. Luka, SGA, and Curry are ahead. I can’t be too mad about that. No other Knick got a vote for the best player at a position. I’d gripe about KAT at center but I don’t think you can argue he’s better than Jokic or Embiid.
Offseason Moves
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As expected, the Knicks are all over this. The Knicks came third with 20% of the vote in the “best offseason moves” category. The Sixers reshaping their entire roster and the Thunder fortifying their already stout core with Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso beat them out.
Paul George was universally considered the best offseason move with 60% of the vote. KAT and Mikal Bridges got 13% each and took silver and bronze. The George signing does look great but if he follows recent trends, they’ll sing a different tune soon.
No Knicks acquisition was considered underrated, but Donte DiVincenzo got a straggler vote for Minnesota. Hartenstein and Caruso took bronze and gold here for OKC.
The most surprising move shouldn’t surprise us. KAT’s acquisition takes gold there with 27%, followed by PG to the Sixers and, of course, Bridges to the Knicks. Shoutout to the GM who saw this offseason and thought, man, I couldn’t believe Deni Avdjia went to the Blazers.
Rookies
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Shocker. Nothing here for the Knicks.
Reed Shepard is the solid favorite for ROTY, though Zach Edey is close. Reed is also considered the likely best player in 2029-30 (this sometimes doesn’t age well).
I’m a bit surprised Tyler Kolek wasn’t even mentioned as a steal. Over a dozen players were mentioned with no consensus.
Defense
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In the last calendar year, the Knicks have added two great perimeter defenders. Despite that, neither was given a vote for best defensive player and only OG got a straggler vote for best perimeter defender. Wemby and Jrue Holiday won those two categories. I wish Mitchell Robinson stayed healthy for a full year because I’d argue he’s one of the best interior defenders in basketball.
When it comes to versatility, OG Anunoby ties for second with 13%. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo is higher. The Knicks didn’t receive a vote for the best defensive team, which is reasonable considering their pivot toward being an offensive powerhouse.
Coaching
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No one will ever give Thibs credit. Coach Spo dominated all categories as usual, although Thibs got a lone vote for being the best motivator. He’s also tied for second with Chris Finch for best defensive schemes (Spo is first, of course). Rick Carlisle has by far the best offense.
A category I enjoy is “Which player will make the best head coach someday?”. Chris Paul is a good choice for #1 and solid vets like Garrett Temple and Mike Conley make sense. For executives to say this about you says a lot about your leadership. Jalen Brunson got a vote, so props to that GM.
Miscellaneous
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Nobody says the Knicks are fun to watch. I disagree. The Nuggets blew everyone out for home-court advantage (that altitude is why), but the Knicks tied for third. Props to us. The Knicks tied for fifth for “most efficient offense” next year which is perfectly fair, considering the hyper-offensive teams like Dallas, Indiana, and Boston in front of them.
A weird question is “Who’s level of success is hardest to predict?’. The Lakers and Rockets took the top spots, Pelicans and Suns were slightly behind. The Knicks were one of sixteen teams to get a vote. The parity in this league is real, folks.
At a time, we’d be in the promising young core section. Does Deuce count?
Players like Steph Curry dominate these sections, including off-ball movement. Shoutout to Mikal Bridges for getting a vote.
This one warms my heart. Jalen Brunson is tied for second with LeBron James for the best leader in the NBA with 23%. Maybe taking a massive paycut to help your team gives you that level of respect. Only Curry was higher, which makes sense because of his fifteen years with a single franchise.
Versatility is key. Mikal Bridges gets sixth with 7%. Everyone in front of him is a superstar wing or a freak of nature (hi, Giannis and Wemby). Amen Thompson got a vote, that’s cool.
Not a team question, but this ended with “What rule most needs to be changed?”
Shocker. The aprons aren’t well-liked with 20%. Some interesting ideas followed, like fewer games on the schedule, fewer B2Bs, a change to a one-free throw rule, an abrupt playoff format change (should top seeds be able to choose their opponents?), and some pushback on the two-day draft.
The following ideas got one vote:
- A third round of the NBA Draft
- Expand All-Star Rosters to 15 (co-sign)
- Elam ending for regular games
- Remove divisions
- Two-way Players’ playoff eligibility
Lots of ideas flowing. Always a fun time with this poll.