The New York Knicks have a new look to their roster entering the 2024-25 season. Mikal Bridges is going to be in a starting five that will see Julius Randle return from injury and OG Anunoby back in a Knicks uniform for the long haul. Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart will likely slot back into their bench roles that they had at the start of last season, but both have now grown into massive contributors no matter what role they are thrown into.
Certain players will have to make sacrifices next season
Realistically speaking, the Knicks have seven guys who can serve as a top option on any given night, but with only so many available shots to put up in games, players who might be used to having a higher shot volume will have to sacrifice more attempts in order to still allow for Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle to get a majority of the touches. It’s a luxury to have, but one that will be unique to navigate.
Brunson doesn’t believe making such sacrifices will be a difficult task for the Knicks:
“I think it starts with me and I think Julius has the character and the mindset to do it. I think most importantly, it’s just us going out there and being a team and knowing that on any given night… there’s going to be someone who’s obviously the hot hand,” Brunson said via SNY’s Ian Begley. “How can we be the best teammates possible to put ourselves in the best position to win.”
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The Knicks have a very deep team heading into next season
The Knicks showcased their depth in the short time that Randle, Brunson, and Anunoby all played in the same game. They were 12-2 over that span and seemed to get high-impact plays from basically every available asset. As the season grew on and the injuries started to mount, players like Miles McBride and Josh Hart elevated their games to a whole new level, and continued to be key contributors throughout the postseason and were big reasons why the Knicks were still able to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round despite the injuries.
It is going to be tough for the lesser role players to replicate that same individual success when the team is fully healthy, so it will be interesting to see how the team that is constructed will fit with one another. Nevertheless, having an array of go-to options is a massive benefit for head coach Tom Thibodeau, as he will have a lot of flexibility to mix and match his rotations.
Brunson added that despite the sacrifices that will need to be made, the team knows that winning is what is most important, and they also know that a championship is certainly attainable with the loaded roster they now have.
“I’m not saying that we need to chop everything off. Like, ‘alright, you can’t do this and you can’t do that.’ No, let’s just do whatever it takes to win as a team and then we go on and move on after that. We have the character and we have the guys who are willing to do that,” Brunson said via SNY’s Ian Begley.
The Knicks are poised to make a run at the finals and prevent the Boston Celtics from becoming an unstoppable core, and with the mentality that Brunson expressed, they are shaping up to have some of the best on-court chemistry out of any other team in the NBA.
