Knicks rank No. 11 in latest NBA power rankings thanks to weak East

The New York Knicks just fell short of ranking in the top 10 in the NBA’s latest power rankings revealed on Monday.

Knicks fall outside of top-10 in power rankings after 2-1 week

The Knicks (9-7) came in at No. 11 overall, as NBA.com’s John Schuhmann evaluated. He had this to say to justify New York’s placement, which wasn’t all too glowing for the franchise:

“Two teams in the East — the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic — have separated themselves, mostly because of how weak the rest of the conference has been,” Schuhmann led with.

The extent to which the Knicks put on an offensive clinic in their Week 6 wins was also accentuated with a handful of eye-opening nuggets:

“The Knicks continue to be carried by the league’s second-ranked offense, scoring an amazing 131.8 points per 100 possessions over the winning streak, which included two of the nine most efficient performances for any team this season. They shot 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range, and 90% from the line in both of their wins early last week,” Schuhmann continued.

Knicks offense showed championship potential last week

New York was dominant last week. They made easy work of the Washington Wizards on Nov. 18, downing them 134-106 at home. Defensively, the Knicks didn’t allow a single Wizards player to score north of 18 points on the affair.

After that, the Knicks picked up a big 138-122 win over the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 20. Though Phoenix was without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal for the contest, their remaining offensive weapons led by All-Star Devin Booker had no answer for Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Brunson (36 points) and Towns (34 points) combined for 70 points and garnered comparisons to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal for boosting their scoring averages to north of 25 PPG on the campaign.

OG Anunoby & Knicks bench were noteworthy

Though New York couldn’t make it a perfect 3-0 week after losing 121-106 to the Utah Jazz, they did manage to give themselves enough of a cushion above .500, where they hovered for much of the early part of the year.

Perhaps the brightest spot for the team outside of Towns and Brunson has been OG Anunoby, who has firmly established himself as their No. 3 option. The most disappointing element of the Knicks’ attack has been their bench, which only exceeded 19 points scored once, after the Wizards game got out of hand.

The Tom Thibodeau-led ball club will look to build upon a strong week on Monday when they take on the Denver Nuggets in the third game of their current five-game road trip.