The New York Knicks will be under the brightest lights more than just about any other team in the NBA next season, and not just from a standpoint of scrutiny.
The Knicks and their star-studded roster are set to appear on national television for 34 of their 82 games in 2024-25. That is nine more than the 25 slots they graced across ABC, TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV from 2023-24, as ClutchPoints’ Brett Sigel reported on X ahead of the last NBA campaign.
Knicks join Lakers & Warriors for most National TV games in 2024-25
Bleacher Report’s Jack Murray relayed the news of the Knicks’ standing in the league rankings of all 30 teams’ amount of nationally televised contests in the upcoming campaign. Murray accentuated the top-five teams, saying this in part:
“The Lakers top the list for national TV games for the 2024-25 at 39. The team is followed by the Golden State Warriors, who have 36,” Murray wrote as he laid out the rankings that Sigel published in like fashion for next year on Thursday.
“The New York Knicks and defending champion Boston Celtics each have 34 while the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns each have 30.”
The Los Angeles Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the second-largest market in the country, so it comes as no surprise that they take the cake. The Warriors, as dynastic as they’ve been for the last decade, saw the departure of franchise pillar Klay Thompson to the Mavericks, so it’ll be interesting to see how they compete next season with a young nucleus around reigning Team USA gold medalist Stephen Curry and star forward Draymond Green. Nevertheless, the Knicks have the makings of a team that can do numbers on the national scale.
Knicks had the team & individual player success to warrant National TV dominance
The immense amount of placements is likely because of several reasons beyond the fact that the Knicks play in the biggest market in the country. For one, the Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and were one game away from their first Conference Finals berth since 2000. Their success level was there.
Additionally, New York saw their fanbase rise to their feet inside and outside of Madison Square Garden throughout the previous campaign. They rallied behind last year’s MVP candidate, Jalen Brunson. It also helps that there was not a single other team that made more waves in the trade market than the Knicks, who acquired OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors in a blockbuster deal in December of 2023 and were heralded for dealing for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks at the trade deadline.
Many brewing storylines will push the Knicks’ narrative & appeal throughout the season
It is true that buzz also plays a role in how many eyes want to watch a team play on the grandest regular season stage. Well, Knicks All-Star Julius Randle has been one of the most talked-about names in the trade rumor mill. Further, the addition of Mikal Bridges reunited him with his Villanova teammates Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart, creating an allure around whether or not they’ll be able to replicate the two national titles that the former three won with the Wildcats (and the 2016 title with Hart) in the Association.
Those storylines will do well to attract the layman and the die-hard NBA aficionado. As for those who breathe the game, the Knicks also have rookie draws they may field next season. Among them, Tyler Kolek played out of his shoes in the 2024 Summer League and has the swagger to make New York’s rowdy crowd push him the way they do all of their other players who are capable of putting the ball in the basket, quite literally.
- Knicks’ star big man flashing elite scoring prowess early on
- Knicks All-Star raves about team progress following Suns thrashing
- Studs No Duds: Knicks continue winning streak with massive win over the Suns
The Knicks will have a microscope under them as they’ll field a unit that, on paper, looks like it can catapult them to a long-awaited title in 2024-25. All of this will greatly sway the NBA’s viewership to pay close attention to the franchise and tune in to see how their big four mesh and whether they’ll succeed or fail in the postseason.