The New York Knicks have one of the most talented rosters in the sport entering this upcoming season and are now in a great position to take over as the East’s most feared team. While the team on paper looks poised to make a title run, a lot of things still need to fall into place for them to enjoy a successful campaign in 2024.
Universal health is an obvious must after New York simply dealt with too many injuries last season before they ultimately fell short in the second round of the playoffs. Thankfully for them, they will likely be getting those missing players back by the start of the regular season and will look to stay in good health collectively throughout all 82 games and into the postseason. However, two big X-factors stand out above the rest for the Knicks this year, one of which involves their newest offseason acquisition.
Mikal Bridges should bring a lot of versatility on both ends
The Knicks swung a massive trade early in the offseason by acquiring two-way star forward Mikal Bridges from the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets, pairing him with OG Anunoby on the wings to form one of the scariest defensive duos in the NBA. Bridges has been a strong defender for his entire career, using his quick hands to force turnovers and being agile on his feet to stay in front of his matchup. The idea of having another strong defender play for head coach Tom Thibodeau should strike fear in opposing teams, as it will be a lot tougher for opponents to put up big numbers against this duo on the perimeter.
New York already became one of the top defenses in the league when they acquired Anunoby halfway through last season, as they boasted a 13.2 net rating in the 23 regular season games that Anunoby played. In those same games, the team went 20-3 and held their opponent to under 100 points nine times. Adding Bridges to the fold is sure to only further enhance their defense, as he brings more length and activity to the Knicks’ starting five.
Bridges isn’t just a defensive pest, as he is also capable of being an effective scorer as a top option, which was best demonstrated by his time as the No. 1 option for the Nets. For his career, he is shooting 48% from the field and 37% from three and achieves that efficiency while being solid as both a spot-up shooter and a secondary ball handler.
Last season was a bit of a down year offensively as he shot just 43% from the field, but he was playing on a team that had virtually no reliable second option. On the Knicks, Bridges will be the third option in the starting five behind Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, and he showed during his time with the Phoenix Suns playing with Chris Paul and Devin Booker that he can be highly impactful in that role. In addition, having less responsibility on offense will allow him to exert more energy on defense, which will lead to significantly better results on that end.
The Knicks’ center depth leans on Mitchell Robinson’s health
With Isaiah Hartenstein no longer with the Knicks, they will be ultra-reliant on Mitchell Robinson to fill the void left by Hartenstein. Robinson is known to be a dominant interior force and is the game’s best offensive rebounder while being a top defender as well. There’s just one stipulation: his health is a massive unknown moving forward.
The 26-year-old big man missed a large portion of last season following ankle surgery and then would miss most of the second round of the playoffs after re-injuring that same ankle and having to undergo a second surgery on it. Though still impactful upon his return for the postseason, he was a step slower on both ends as he was building himself back up into peak game shape. The increased volume of injuries will only continue to slow him down, so he has to be able to stay healthy this season to return to the All-Defense form he was in at the start of last season.
Furthermore, the Knicks have had some trouble replacing Hartenstein’s rotation spot with a center that is equally as impactful as he was. They re-signed Precious Achiuwa to a one-year deal for $6 million, and will likely assume the role as backup center. However, Achiuwa is slightly undersized and the team seems intent on adding size to the second unit in whatever way possible, even if that means playing Randle out of position for brief spurts.
The latest update on Mitch’s progression is not particularly encouraging, as SNY’s Ian Begley reported last week that the seven-footer still had not been cleared for “high-intensity weight-bearing activities during his rehab.” There is still just over a month to go before the start of training camp, but how Robinson is progressing in his rehab is something to monitor in the coming weeks. Worst case scenario, if he is not going to be ready by the start of the season, the Knicks will likely search the open market for available free agents and add a center to fortify the rotation once Robinson is cleared to play.