Knicks Trade Boosts Power Ranking

The New York Knicks have a lot of eyes on them after officially completing the Karl-Anthony Towns trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, which sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minneapolis.

With the trade complete, the Knicks’ ceiling has gone up, and people think they could emerge as one of the best teams in the league.

CBS Sports writer Colin Ward-Henninger has the Knicks landing at No. 3 in his latest power rankings, three spots higher than the previous edition.

“Fun little upstart team on the rise? That’s cute and all, but the Knicks said, “screw that” by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges this offseason to complete one of the most fearsome starting fives in the league. The breeze flowing through the Knicks’ championship window went from a faint whistle to an all-out windstorm, as they’re now poised to seriously contend for years to come behind unflappable leader Jalen Brunson. There are depth questions, to be sure, but a top end like theirs should result in a lot of regular-season wins,” Ward-Henninger writes.

The only teams ranking higher than the Knicks were the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics, who both finished with the best record in their respective conferences last season.

The Celtics and Thunder are running it back, with the exception of Oklahoma City acquiring former Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Either way, each team doesn’t have to figure too much out in terms of how to play with one another. Hartenstein doesn’t change the Thunder’s setup too much, while the Celtics remain as-is.

That isn’t the case for the Knicks, who will have to figure things out quickly with Towns and Bridges as new, key parts to the team. It could present challenges for the Knicks, but if they can get over those growing pains quickly, things could be looking up for New York.

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