Getty Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks reacts late in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs.
The New York Knicks have consistently found themselves right in the mix for a top-eight seed in the Eastern Conference standings throughout these first few months of the 2022-23 campaign and, based on their level of play and recent successes, it appears this won’t be changing any time soon.
Boasting a record of 23-19, if the season were to end today Tom Thibodeau’s club would be slotted into the sixth seed out in the Eastern Conference standings and be gearing up for a playoff matchup against the third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
Of course, there are still several months between now and the end of the regular season, meaning standings and projected matchups are bound to change frequently.
However, one thing many expect to remain the same is New York’s claim for an illustrious berth, and Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report went as far as to predict in a January 12 article that the team will snap their one-year hiatus with an eighth-place finish in the standings and a first-round matchup against the Boston Celtics, citing potential All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle’s production as leading reasons for why they’ll likely qualify.
“A Knicks-Celtics first round series would provide a tremendous basketball atmosphere, no matter the city or arena, and mark a nice turnaround for a New York team that finished eight games below .500 just a year ago. While Jalen Brunson has been the steady hand to guide this ship all season, it’s been the recent play of Julius Randle (30.9 points, 13.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists over his last 10 games) that should really have Knicks fans excited,” Swartz wrote.
Swartz would continue by stating that the Knicks may ultimately have to work their way into the 2023 playoffs by means of the play-in tournament when considering their second-half schedule (fourth hardest in the conference), but ended off by noting that “this team has proved it belongs back in the playoffs.”
SIX (6!!) KNICKS in double-digits in the W ⚖️
The Knicks have been on an absolute tear since the start of the new year, as they have gone 4-1 during this stretch and sport an impressive record of 13-7 since the beginning of December.
Knicks One of Best Two-Way Teams
Aside from their impressive record, New York’s advanced stats show that they’ve been having a truly impressive campaign through their first 42 games played, particularly since the early stages of December.
JULIUS RANDLE CHASE DOWN BLOCK
GREAT HUSTLE 👏
Though they have proven offensive talents like Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, and RJ Barrett in their midst, the Knicks as a whole have been absolutely lethal on the defensive side of the floor, as they own the second-best defensive rating in the entire league at 108.4 since December 4.
On top of this, for the season as a whole, they have managed to hold their opponents to the eight-fewest points per game, the second-lowest 3-point percentage, and the fourth-lowest field goal percentage.
MITCHELL LOBINSON w/ the assist from @RjBarrett6
Of course, with the previously mentioned players leading the charge the team’s offensive production also finds itself hovering in the upper echelon of the league’s ranks since the early stages of December, as they hold the fifth-best offensive rating at 116.5 and hold the third best net rating at 8.2 during this span.
3 Stars Tabbed as Knicks Targets
Despite their impressive play to this point, recent rumblings suggest the Knicks may be looking to make a rather sizable splash during this year’s trade season and one writer believes that there are three top-notch players that they should look to target.
In a January 11 piece, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz went about and listed Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, and OG Anunoby as possible options that the franchise should look to pursue.
“Few teams have the kind of draft capital the Knicks possess, and even the strong play of Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson has New York just seventh in the East.
Adding a premier scorer like Beal or LaVine is at least worth checking the price on for the Knicks, taking this offense to an elite level.
If the asking price is too high, Anunoby may actually be the better fit overall. Plugging the defensive juggernaut into a lineup that features Brunson, RJ Barrett, Randle and Mitchell Robinson would give this core plenty of size, scoring and now an elite defender on the perimeter.
Don’t be shy, New York. Make some calls,” Swartz wrote.
All three of these players have been found linked to the Knicks as viable options, with the Chicago Bulls guard and Toronto Raptors wing being the two most oft-mentioned big names throughout these first few months of the 2022-23 season.