Best and worst case scenario for New York Knicks in 2024-25 NBA season

The New York Knicks wrapped up a busy offseason with a blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. He joins Mikal Bridges as the newest Knicks in the starting lineup. New York’s rotation looks much different than it did a season ago when Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randle started.

The Knicks were plagued by injuries last season, and unfortunately, that trend continued over to this season. Mitchell Robinson will miss the first few months of the season, and Landry Shamet suffered a shoulder injury in New York’s preseason win over Charlotte on Tuesday. Shamet signed a non-guaranteed deal but was expected to get one of the team’s open roster spots.

Even with the injuries, the Knicks are in a better position than a month ago. Tom Thibodeau said that the team’s need for another center propelled the trade for KAT. Isaiah Hartenstein stepped up for New York when Robinson was injured last season, but he signed a three-year deal with the Thunder in free agency.

The Knicks’ first major splash of the summer happened before the draft when they sent a slew of first-round picks to the Nets for Mikal Bridges. Nobody saw the Towns trade coming, even though New York kept in contact with Minnesota throughout the offseason. The Knicks’ goal is to end their championship drought, and they took a big step closer to that goal this summer.

New York’s best-case scenario is winning the championship. A more realistic scenario is making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but that’s not what this section is for.

Making it to the NBA Finals (and winning) will require the Knicks to stay healthy or at least be at full strength in time for the postseason. Towns, Robinson, and OG Anunoby have troublesome injury histories. It’d be ideal if Robinson returns in January and stays in the lineup for the remainder of the season.

Thibodeau catches flak for running his starters thin during the regular season. New York’s depth isn’t what it was, but the silver lining is that the rookies shined in the preseason. They proved that they could be rotation players sooner rather than later. Maybe they can help the Knicks cross the finish line by helping preserve the team’s star players.

New York’s worst-case scenario starts with another season of poor health. Robinson won’t return in time, and KAT and/or Anunoby will miss significant chunks of the season. Towns’ poor chemistry with his new teammates will haunt the Knicks and cause fans to miss Randle and Donte DiVincenzo more than expected.

With Brunson’s star power, New York would still secure a playoff berth, but it would be an early first-round exit. Rather than building on last season’s success, the Knicks would regress.

Every fan wants to want the scenario above, and the good news is that New York has steadily improved under Brunson. The front office patiently assembled the roster that will debut on Oct. 22. Expectations are high for a reason. The Knicks have a chance to do something special.