With the addition of Mikal Bridges this offseason, the New York Knicks now have one of the most talented rosters in the entire NBA for the 2024-25 season. They have two All-Stars in Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, while Bridges and OG Anunoby are two of the top two-way players in the entire league. In addition, Mitchell Robinson will be back from ankle surgery and reclaim his starting job after Isaiah Hartenstein’s departure in free agency.
Knicks Starting Five Grade: A
How this starting five matches up with the rest of the league remains to be seen, but on paper, it is arguably the second-best in the Eastern Conference, with only the champion Boston Celtics having the edge over them. To rank the Knicks’ starting five over the Celtics’ they will have to prove that they can knock off Boston in a playoff series (or go further than them in the postseason). Until that happens, they will have to settle for second-best starting five in the East.
Nevertheless, the Knicks have a super deep roster with several guys even off the bench that are capable of starting. Something to monitor will be how the shots are distributed amongst the team, as some guys may need to sacrifice some volume to get the others involved.
The Knicks have several top options at their disposal at one time, with three players capable of being the team’s first option if they need a bigger night out of them. Most teams do not have that kind of luxury, but New York does, meaning that no game will be an easy out for their opponents no matter what.
The Knicks’ starting five has a great balance of important play styles
This starting five also has the perfect blend of shooting, rebounding, and defense. Robinson was on track to make an All-Defense team last season before suffering the ankle injury, and there is reason to believe he can replicate that same on-court success as long as he stays healthy. Bridges and Anunoby will both likely be candidates for the Defensive Player of The Year award, as their two sharing the court is sure to be a matchup nightmare for opponents.
Bridges and Anunoby are also hyper-efficient three-point shooters, with both playing honing a career long-distance percentage of 37%. They provide the floor spacing that the team was badly missing a couple of seasons ago, and they both also have underrated athleticism, making them a tough guard for anybody.
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Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are a top duo in the NBA
Then, of course, there’s Brunson and Randle, two of the most dynamic scorers in the NBA and one of the more overlooked duos in the league. The pair were both named to the All-Star team last season and averaged a combined 52.7 points per game. The two are in the top tier of players at their respective positions, and more than capable of leading the team on a championship run now that they have good supporting pieces.
The one area that is relatively weak in the starting five is playmaking, as Brunson and Randle are score-first players and usually make plays off of double teams or pick-and-rolls. Despite that, Randle is still a very solid playmaker at his position and has cleaned up the turnovers that would kill him in previous years. With more catch-and-shoot options for Brunson and Randle to work with, the playmaking numbers may take a leap this upcoming season.
The Knicks have a deep starting five that seems to address nearly every important aspect a lineup should have. It is safe to say that as long as they stay healthy, they will be one of the toughest teams to beat on a nightly basis.
