Knicks Top 3 in Future Power Rankings

The New York Knicks have high hopes for the upcoming season as they look to build off of their 50-win campaign from a year ago.

The Knicks did enough on paper to give them reason to be better this season, trading for Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves and signing Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby to long-term extensions.

ESPN crafted a future power ranking that projects the next three seasons, and the Knicks came in at No. 3, five spots higher than the same ranking a year ago.

“Continued impressive work from coach Tom Thibodeau and president Leon Rose earned New York a jump up from a tie for ninth in management to fourth — up from a tie for 20th two seasons ago. Between the salaries added to the books and the draft capital sent out in deals, New York predictably dropped in both money (tied for 13th) and draft (sixth) from where it was a year ago,” ESPN contributor Tim Bontemps writes.

The only teams that rank higher than the Knicks are the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics, who were both the No. 1 seed in their respective conference last season.

The Knicks have a lot going for them, especially with their star Jalen Brunson in his prime. Sure, there are some struggle spots, like the money and future draft capital going down, but that’s because this team is in buyer mode.

If the Knicks’ spending doesn’t result in a championship, it should be considered a disappointment. However, they are making the effort, and that’s more than what most teams can say at this point.

The Knicks’ window is wide open, and that should be the case for the next several years down the line, which puts the team in a position that it hasn’t been in since the 1990’s.

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