NBA
Knicks Land Top 3 in Latest Power Rankings
The New York Knicks have been one of the more active teams this offseason, trading for Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets and signing OG Anunoby to a five-year extension that rivals some of the richest contracts in the league.
While the team did lose Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency, the Knicks remain one of the league’s best teams on paper as the offseason approaches its halfway mark.
CBS Sports writer Brad Botkin released a power ranking of all 30 NBA teams and he placed the Knicks at No. 3.
“Adding Mikal Bridges and re-signing OG Anunoby takes this team to the top tier of potential Boston beaters. The Knicks can credibly line up against the Celtics’ perimeter attack on both ends and Jalen Brunson is an MVP-level star whose offensive clarity has not been compromised,” Botkin writes.
The only teams that placed ahead of the Knicks on the list was the Oklahoma City Thunder, who added Hartenstein and Alex Caruso in a trade for Josh Giddey, and the Boston Celtics, who just won the championship last month.
The Celtics and Thunder will be seen as favorites to win their respective conferences all year long, but the Knicks are also viewed as one of Boston’s biggest challengers in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks have done enough to be seen as such, but they are still a little far away from the team they are trying to chase. The Celtics have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA and they didn’t have much challenging them on their way to the title, so the Knicks will have their work cut out for them.
However, the Knicks have made significant progress to be seen as the clear No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference. That’s all they really can do at the moment. Ultimately, none of the words will matter until results come about in the regular season. If the Knicks can walk the walk that can match the talk they’ve drummed up this offseason, they’ll have a genuine chance to take over the Celtics as the top team in the East.
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