The New York Knicks’ starting lineup has been scary good this season. Though they’ve had a learning curve to adjust to from a continuity standpoint, New York’s first five are getting buckets.
All-Stars Karl-Anthony-Anthony Towns (25.2 points per game) and Jalen Brunson (25.1 PPG) lead their charge as one of the most potent duos in the NBA. Right behind them, OG Anunoby (17.7 PPG) has emerged as one of the premier third options in the league with Mikal Bridges (16.5 PPG) and Josh Hart (13.9 PPG) rounding out their scoring onslaught.
Knicks starters are scoring at a historically great rate
According to NBA reporter Tommy Beer, the Knicks’ 97.5 PPG on the 2024-25 campaign is the highest-scoring average by a starting five in league history. Beer contextualized the feat in a post published on X on Friday morning:
“No starting unit has ever averaged more than 92 points per game. In fact, only two teams have ever finished a season averaging more than 91 PPG:
The world champion Boston Celtics starting 5 last season (at 91.3) and the iconic “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns team in 2004-05 (at 91.8), which won 62 games under Mike D’Antoni and MVP Steve Nash,” Beer noted.
“The Knicks’ five-man starting unit is currently averaging… wait for it… 97.5 points per game.”
Knicks have the edge over all-time great starting offenses
This is special on many fronts. Not only were the Celtics elite last season, headlined by scorers Jayson Tatum, reigning NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday, but the Suns reintroduced up-tempo offense to the league in one of the slowest eras of all time.
Not only so, but the Golden State Warriors from 2016-17 until 2018-19 had starting lineups that featured two 25-plus PPG scorers in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, a 20-plus PPG scorer in Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, who was good for double figures many a times. A short list of other superteams and well-oiled machines took the NBA by storm with their high-octane offense, and yet, these Knicks outpace them all by a wide margin.
It will be on them to continue putting up points at this rate. If the Knicks’ defense meets their offense where it’s at as the campaign progresses, New York could be staring down the Larry O’Brien trophy come June with a historic offense to attach to that hopeful accomplishment.
