The 2024-25 season has been a success for the Knicks. After a 110-93 win on Sunday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, the 47-27 Knicks are in third place in the Eastern Conference with eight games remaining in the regular season. New York is on pace to finish with its most wins in a season in 12 years.
However, there are some questions the club faces as the playoffs rapidly approach such as its defense and depth. Let’s look at three questions for the Knicks right now.
Will the defense hold up?
A top-five ranked offense has largely been the reason for New York’s success this season. Defense has been a lot more inconsistent. New York is currently 13th in defensive efficiency, giving up 113.4 points per 100 possessions.
It’s notable that since point guard Jalen Brunson has been out with an ankle injury, New York is ranked seventh in defensive efficiency. Brunson and center Karl-Anthony Towns give the Knicks two pressure points that opposing offenses can attack. In the regular season, several teams such as the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder relentlessly hunted both stars.
It’s very hard when your two best offensive players are your weakest defenders. Teams will go after both players in the playoffs. New York will need both Brunson and Towns on the floor to create for the offense, but defense will loom large if the Knicks are going to make a deep playoff run.
Can Anunoby and Bridges step up?
Brunson’s injury has caused Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby to step into larger roles. On Sunday night, both wings guided the Knicks to a win against Portland with 28 points apiece. In 12 games without Brunson, Anunoby is averaging 22.8 points and 5.3 reboundswhile Bridges is putting up 22.2 points and 5.2 assists.
Anunoby and Bridges have experienced ups and downs this season, but both are playing their best basketball at the right time. The Knicks traded five first-round picks for Bridges and re-signed Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million contract last offseason. Those deals came with the thought that both players would be able to help elevate the team in high leverage situations.
If the Knicks are going to make noise in the postseason, both Bridges and Anunoby will have to make significant contributions. Both players will be tasked with guarding the top offensive options of opponents. But they will also need to provide some scoring to ease the heavy offensive burden that sits with Brunson and Towns. This recent stretch is a step in the right direction.
Do the Knicks have enough depth?
The Knicks have been last in the NBA in bench points throughout this entire season. Even with the return of Mitchell Robinson from injury and increased minutes for Landry Shamet, New York’s depth has been shaky.
This issue could be mitigated by the playoff environment. The postseason usually sees coaches cut rotations and increase minutes for core players. Last season, Josh Hart played at least 48 minutes on four occasions in the playoffs and Brunson saw the floor for at least 40 minutes in seven of 13 games.
New York head coach Tom Thibodeau is likely to rely heavily on its starting five. Also, expect Miles McBride and Robinson to figure into significant roles with Cam Payne and Shamet taking up the rest of available minutes at the start of the playoffs. An injury to any of the team’s starters would be a cause for concern.
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