The New York Knicks have high expectations for the 2024-25 season. They added Mikal Bridges to a team that was already deep and littered with high-level talent, firmly placing them in a position to contend for not only an appearance in the NBA Finals but to win it all as well.
Kendrick Perkins has high expectations for the Knicks this upcoming season
Former NBA player now turned ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, who has praised the Knicks for the past couple of seasons, thinks that New York will finish with the best regular season record in the league this upcoming season:
“When you think about what [Jalen] Brunson did last year, best player in the Eastern Conference, he’s going to come back on a different mission,” Perkins said on ESPN’s NBA Today.
Perkins has supported the Knicks for some time, often praising the foundation and culture they have built in New York and seeing the vision with them that many others may not see. He has also spoken highly about Brunson, and even went to Game 5 of the second round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers in which Brunson scored 44 points in a Knicks win.
Jalen Brunson’s rise to stardom has the Knicks in a great position
Brunson’s rise to stardom catapulted the Knicks into title contention last season. He averaged a career-high 28.7 points and was named an All-Star and a member of Second Team All-NBA, and was critical in the team winning 50 games and finishing as the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
The addition of OG Anunoby gave them the perfect three-and-D to complement Brunson and fellow All-Star Julius Randle, but they only got to play 12 games together last season.
The Knicks are capable of shutting down the Celtics
Now, that trio will return healthy, and they have the capability to take down the Boston Celtics’ lethal duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with the Bridges addition. The Celtics had the league’s best record last season and dominated the playoffs en route to an NBA title, and New York is arguably their biggest threat at repeating as champions.
The Knicks still have a lot to prove despite the very talented roster, but the expectations for them are undoubtedly the highest they have ever been in the 21st century. Expect Perkins to continue riding behind the Knicks as they look to make a statement to those who doubt them this upcoming season.
