With growing anticipation for the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, the annual GM survey forecasts the New York Knicks to finish at the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference standings for the second consecutive year.
Is a Quiet Knicks Offseason to Blame For Standstill in GM Projections?
According to NBA.com, front office heads predict that the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks will remain the top two seeds out East. Additionally, they have the Cleveland Cavaliers leapfrogging the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 seed while the Knicks stand pat and make no progress.
New York received zero votes to finish first or second, and They also received 17 percent of the votes for the No. 3 seed and 33 percent of votes to finish a spot better than the 2022-23 campaign.
Donte DiVincenzo was the Knicks’ marquee acquisition this offseason. They failed to land a superstar player while the Celtics upgraded at center with former All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, and the Bucks put the NBA on notice by snagging All-NBA third-team point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers.
While Max Strus brings elite outside shooting to the Cavaliers’ offense, the league’s general managers may have overlooked the Knicks’ dominant gentleman’s sweep over the Donovan Mitchell-led team when elevating them to top-three status in the conference.
The Knicks are Poised For Ascension in and Out of the Standings
New York looked strong in their first preseason outing against Boston behind Immanuel Quickley and Mitchell Robinson and are expecting more offensive contributions from Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, and the rest of their rotation to complement their elite defense.
The survey also ranked the Knicks’ home-court advantage as T-No. 5 in the NBA. General managers gave Knicks head Coach Tom Thibodeau props for his defensive play-calling, ranking his schemes behind Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and on par with Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins.
In more fun-loving questions, Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson received no votes for player with the highest basketball IQ, neither did Julius Randle garner recognition in the most versatile NBA player category.
New York can let the general managers’ opinions fly over their head as they are set to open the season at home on Oct. 25 against the Celtics.