3 Reasons Why the New York Knicks Will Take a Step Back in 2024-25

The New York Knicks were crowned the biggest winners of the NBA offseason after extending Jalen Brunson, re-signing OG Anunoby, and trading for Mikal Bridges. The Knicks are expected to have a suffocating defense and be built on “good vibes,” as Bridges, Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo all attended Villanova University.

However, the other top teams in the Eastern Conference also improved. The Philadelphia 76ers added Paul George, the Milwaukee Bucks gave Damian Lillard some support in the backcourt, and the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, and Cleveland Cavaliers are all expected to develop talent internally. The Western Conference, as always, is deeper and more talented than the East, but several teams along the Atlantic and in the Midwest can argue that they will make the NBA Finals.

The Knicks are one of the favorites to win the Conference, but there are several reasons why that won’t be the case. The Knicks have one of the deeper rosters in the NBA, especially in the backcourt, but head coach Tom Thibodeau is notorious for refusing to rest his starters, even in the regular season, so it’s only a matter of time before injuries catch up to them.

Even without the inevitable injuries, which are hard to predict, this Knicks’ team is slightly overrated, and there are three main reasons why they won’t make it out of the East, despite the hype.

3 Knicks Aren’t An Elite Shooting Team

They added a floor-spacer in Bridges, but they are overrated

Starters Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby are all better-than-average (35.3 percent) shooters in the NBA, but except for Brunson, none of the Knicks’ starters are elite.

DiVincenzo is an excellent shooter with a proven track record, but he is a high-level bench player at best. Their starting unit of Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson shot a combined 37.4 percent from three, which is solid, although their volume leaves a lot to be desired.

The Knicks are a lock for the playoffs, so their average regular-season numbers can be dismissed. However, in the postseason, they took fewer threes than most teams. Granted, they made more than anyone aside from the 76ers, but that can mostly be chalked up to DiVincenzo, Hart, and Miles McBride playing more minutes in the absence of Randle. If Randle is healthy, the Knicks will have a more talented roster but their shooting will take a dip, especially in the playoffs.

Alarmingly, Robinson has not taken a three-point shot in his entire NBA career. Backup center Precious Achiuwa is also not a deep threat, so the Knicks have limited options when it comes to converting shots from deep.

2 Knicks Can Be Physical, But They Are Small

New York only has one true center

Aside from Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks don’t have a regular rotation player who is taller than 6-8. The best players in the East are all big men: Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Paolo Banchero are all 6-10 or taller, and even Jayson Tatum is 6-8.

None of the opposing bigs struggled against the Knicks, and Banchero was even able to dominate. Robinson is their only true center, and in the event that he goes down, either Randle or Achiuwa will have to play heavy minutes down low unless the Knicks can make a trade before the season starts.

Thibodeau has admitted that Randle could, in theory, play center, but he would want to limit that action to “10 or 15 minutes” per game.

Robinson missed 51 regular-season games last year and sat out for seven playoff games, so the possibility that he misses extended time again has to be taken into account. With only one, injury-prone center on the roster, the Knicks have to be ready to give up big games to some of the best frontcourt players in the NBA.

1 Knicks Have Trouble With Easy Shots

Were around average at the free throw line and at the rim

Last season, the Knicks took the 14th most shots from the charity stripe and made 78 percent of them, good for 17th in the league. While the Knicks hovered around average, the elite teams made their easy shots.

While missing a few points here and there from the free throw line can be the difference between winning and losing, it’s not always catastrophic. However, the Knicks also failed to convert a league-average under the rim. Last year, the Knicks shot 58.2 percent under the rim, slightly below the league average of 59.9 percent.

When you combine their lackluster free throw shooting with their below-average shooting next to the basket, you have a recipe for losing a handful of games. In the playoffs, the Knicks continued their struggles from the charity stripe.

Except for McBride, nearly every Knicks’ rotation player saw a drastic dip in free throw production in the playoffs.

In their first-round Game 5 overtime loss to the Sixers, the Knicks shot an abysmal 66.7 percent from the free-throw line. Had they made just one more shot, the game would not have gone into overtime and the Knicks could have ended the series early.

While the Knicks went on to win the series, it is very apparent that the team is not built to make free throws, which could make the difference between winning and losing a game.

Naturally, the NBA is thrilled that their largest media market finally has a legitimately good team, but before fans write them in as Finals locks, keep in mind that the power of friendship is not necessarily enough to win a championship, and there are plenty of good (if not better) teams competing in the East as well.