How the Knicks compare with the East’s elite

The NBA’s Eastern Conference now has a clear big four: the defending champion Celtics, the improved Knicks and 76ers and the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks.

The Celtics, with their entire core intact, remains the favorites, but the other three powers are legitimate contenders as well.

Sports+ breaks down how the four teams compare in three ways: star power, intangibles and coaching.

Star power

1. 76ers

Stars at guard (Tyrese Maxey), on the wing (Paul George) and at center (Joel Embiid) give the 76ers the most talented trio in the league. George is still a terrific player at the age of 34, as he showed in 74 games last season with the Clippers, averaging 22.6 points and shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range. This team will be a nightmare to defend when healthy.

2. Bucks

Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton remain formidable, a trio of All-Stars that will be motivated after last season’s early playoff exit. Middleton, it should be noted, is recovering from arthroscopic surgeries on both ankles, which is worth monitoring. But when right, these three together are absolutely capable of dominance.

3. Celtics

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are two-way superstars in their primes aided by the best supporting cast in the sport. Jrue Holiday is a star because of how well he defends, and Derrick White has developed into a difference-maker to the point you can’t really call him a role player anymore.

4. Knicks

This isn’t an insult to the Knicks’ stars, just the reality of how loaded the top of the conference will be. Their strength is in balance, defense and depth.

Jalen Brunson is the clear face of the franchise, and there are few guards in the league better. The Knicks certainly have answers for anyone on the wing with Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.

The big question revolves around Julius Randle, a three-time All-Star who is working his way back from shoulder surgery. Despite his postseason struggles in recent years, the Knicks missed Randle in their playoff series loss to the Pacers. If they can get him at his best, anything is possible on Broadway, and that includes a championship.

Coaching

1. Knicks

The Knicks have overachieved since hiring Tom Thibodeau in 2020, reaching the playoffs in three of his four seasons. Players have improved under his watch, and now he has a true title contender to work with. It’s time to get past the second round for a coach who has done that just once, in 2010-11 with the Bulls.

2. 76ers

It’s hard to fault Nick Nurse for the 76ers’ opening-round playoff loss to the Knicks when you consider Embiid wasn’t 100 percent. He led the Raptors to a title in his first year as a head coach in 2018-19, and before injuries hit, had the Sixers in line to win 60 games last season.

3. Celtics

Joe Mazzulla is just 36 years old and is already a champion. Granted, he has a loaded roster, but he has to get some credit for the Celtics going 80-21 including the playoffs last year.

4. Bucks

Yes, Doc Rivers did win a title with the Celtics back in 2007-08 and he got to the Finals two years later, but he hasn’t gotten past the second round since 2011-12. The Bucks went 17-19 after Rivers replaced Adrian Griffin last season, and he failed to get out of the opening round.

Intangibles

1. Celtics

Boston has everyone back after its dominant run throughout the postseason, and Tatum will be motivated after his stunning benching in the Olympics. At their best, the Celtics showed they are at a level unto themselves. The sheer confidence from that spring run will matter a lot once the playoffs come around again.

2. Knicks

No team is tougher or plays harder on a consistent basis than the Knicks. They have a belief they can beat anyone at their best, as they showed last year in going 12-2 following the Anunoby trade prior to Randle’s shoulder injury, and now they have added Bridges. The Knicks have elite chemistry fostered by Thibodeau, Brunson and the former Villanova stars.

3. Bucks

The Bucks don’t lose in the first round in either of the past two seasons if Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP, isn’t sidelined by injuries. Lillard has a lot to prove after an underwhelming first season in Milwaukee. With so much attention on the other three powerhouses in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks will have a major chip on their shoulder.

4. 76ers

Embiid and George are aging and injury-prone. The Knicks were just tougher than Philadelphia in the playoffs, not more talented. The biggest question is Embiid’s postseason struggles after he has failed to get past the second round in five opportunities. Nurse last won a playoff series in the 2019-20 campaign.

Pinch points

For all the hype surrounding the Knicks, there remain a few areas of concern, namely health and the center position.

The loss of Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency has created more of a need for Mitchell Robinson to stay on the floor, something the rim-protecting, offensive-rebounding maestro has struggled to do throughout his career.

Robinson has appeared in a combined 90 regular-season games the past two seasons. He missed the entire postseason in 2020-21 and suffered a stress injury to his left ankle during the playoffs this past year. The Knicks badly need him to stay healthy this season.

Unless Jericho Sims is ready for a bigger role or Precious Achiuwa can thrive as an undersized center, there really isn’t a suitable backup option. Hartenstein was an unsung and valuable two-way piece to this team a season ago, and he wasn’t replaced.

Robinson isn’t the only player with those concerns. OG Anunoby is another Knick who isn’t known for his durability. He injured his hamstring in the Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Pacers, a major factor in the Knicks blowing a 2-0 series lead.

Anunoby has averaged 59.7 games during his seven-year career. Brunson and Randle are also coming off major injuries, though neither is known for being injured and Brunson should be ready in time for the start of the season.

Cup luck?

The Knicks’ NBA Cup group this season will feature two bottom-feeders (Nets and Hornets) and two contenders (76ers and Magic). It’s a manageable group for Thibodeau’s crew.

It can’t work out worse for them than it did last year. Remember, the Knicks wound up having to play the Bucks and Celtics five times apiece, an uneven balance.

They finished one win away from the in-season tournament semifinals and a trip to Las Vegas, and instead faced a tougher regular-season schedule.

Maybe the bracket will be kinder to them next season.