Greetings, Knickerbocker fans. As the 80th NBA season draws near, the Posting and Toasting crew has assembled to answer questions and offer predictions about the hooping residents of Madison Square Garden and their new skipper, Mike Brown.
Commence the speculations!
1) How will Mike Brown’s system impact the team?
Losada: If this was Coach Brown’s system applied to Coach Thibs’ mentality, I’d be expecting to lose count of how many wounded bodies the Knicks would lose to injury this season. But Brown’s system comes with Brown’s mind, which means speed
will come with rotation, spread-out minutes, and hopefully a cohesive strategy that keeps the Knicks healthy throughout the season. That said, I expect growing pains and definitely a steady improvement on the court that won’t necessarily be reflected in the regular-season standings — and how many wins they’ll earn from now through April.
Zeno: More threes. The Knicks have an abundance of shooting talent, but a Tom Thibodeau system didn’t prioritize quantity. The best offenses in the NBA today get as many threes up as possible, and I’m confident that Mike Brown’s system will increase the Knicks’ volume. In the preseason, they averaged 43.5 attempts a game, a considerable jump from 34.1 last year.
Richardson: Not much. Brown hopes to upend last season’s playbook by evolving the team into a faster, freer unit. We saw flashes during the preseason, but didn’t Bondy tweet that the Knicks were 31st in pace this preseason? Mostly, they looked it. Coach can demand more pace and space but has inherited almost all the players from last season’s slow-foot squad. As for shooting, Brown expects more three-pointers. Prepare yourselves for a bunch of 4-for-25 first halves this season…. We never doubt Jalen Brunson’s commitment to the gameplan. If success doesn’t come quickly, however, dissention from others in the ranks could follow. This week, we saw a video of Karl-Anthony Towns looking miserable. We hope he turns that frown upside down soon. UNSOLICITED BONUS PREDICTION: Fans will hate Jordan Clarkson by midseason, due to his twitchy propensity to chuck the ball from deep with 12 seconds on the clock.
Miranda: “We won’t really know until late in the season” isn’t the sexiest answer, but it’s the truth. Plus you shouldn’t objectify answers. Karl-Anthony Towns is being asked to master a seamless flow between two positions. Jalen Brunson, on-ball as anyone in the Association the past few seasons, is tasked with playing off it more. Coach Brown has hyped up Mikal Bridges quite a bit, a player a number of Knick fans were frustrated with even before he signed the second-biggest contract in franchise history last summer and fairly or not became inextricably linked to a possible Giannis trade. Josh Hart’s already hurting. Mitchell Robinson will be, invariably. And yet, so long as those questions only apply to games 1-82 and not April/May/June, who cares?
Kato: For the first few weeks, fans will likely not love what they see. The team will go through their share of growing pains as they learn how to not just play Brown’s preferred style of basketball, but win with it, and Brown will have to learn on the fly as to how to best maximize this current roster. And when the team isn’t struggling to grasp the new scheme, they will likely revert to what they know best- watch Jalen Brunson drag them across the finish line. They’ll have enough talent to get by, but it’ll likely be ugly until January or February. That being said, I do believe that by the end of the regular season, they’ll look closer to a well-oiled machine than the slow, hesitant, and awkward offense we saw them trot out during the preseason. This is a selfless, and smart team that has one of the best scorers in the league, one of the greatest shooting big men of all-time, and some really good supplemental pieces to go along with a flawed, but good offensive coach. They may never hit their full potential this year, but they should still end up being one of the better offenses in the league by season’s end.
2) What will be the Knicks’ starting lineup by January 1 / mid-way through the season?
Losada: Brunson, Bridges, OG, Towns, Robinson. That will change on January 3, however, as that’s the second leg of a back-to-back affair starting on Jan. 2, so expect Mitch to hit the pine. But you get the underlying idea: no big changes are expected barring moves impacting the 11th-plus men.
Zeno: This hinges on Mitchell Robinson’s availability. Based on what we’ve seen so far, Brown sees Mitch as the team’s fifth starter, but his availability will forever be an issue. I don’t think he’d go to Josh Hart after seeing what happened to the spacing last year, so I’ll go with McBride joining the four locked-in starters by the time the calendar switches to 2026.
Richardson: Should be Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Towns, and Robinson, but…. Due to load Mitch’s load management, I predict Ariel Hukporti (jersey to be ordered soon) will start 20 games this season. And, OG Anunoby played 74 games last regular season, the first time he’d topped 70 since his rookie year. Expect him to play closer to 60-65 this time out, with Josh Hart starting in his absence.
Miranda: By New Year’s Day there’ll be multiple players starting who weren’t expected to be. Tom Thibodeau may be gone, but the Thibs’ tax tolls for thee, Knicks. A year ago, every starter besides Brunson played 74-plus games. That seems unlikely to reoccur. Remember: Precious Achiuwa started 10 games last season. Jericho Sims and Delon Wright started five each. Shit happens. We’re about to learn more about Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson than we ever dreamed.
Kato: The Knicks were unexpectedly one of the healthiest teams last season, and that seems unlikely to be the case this season. Robinson, Towns, and Hart are all dealing with ailments and or injuries, while Brunson, and Anunoby have missed their share of games over the last few years. Barring any major injuries though, I still think Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Towns, and Robinson will be the starting lineup combination that starts the most games together.
3) Where will the Knicks rank offensively and defensively this season?
Losada: The Knicks had the fourth-worst per-season OffRtg (104.8) and the fourth-best DeffRtg (101.8). Yeah, don’t think that offense will keep stinking so bad for the next 82 games, but with Brown in to,w I don’t expect the defense to be much worse, either. Call me crazy, but give me a top-six finish on both ends.
Zeno: Last year, the Knicks ranked fifth in offensive rating and 13th in defensive rating. Despite the load management that will make his availability choppy throughout the season, I’d imagine Mitchell Robinson will play more. That should alone push the Knicks towards the top ten, but the bigger question is the offense. All signs point to a unit that could be unstoppable, but how long will it take for Mike Brown’s system to start clicking? Give me third in offense and ninth in defense.
Richardson: This vehicle has the parts to be a top-five racer, but, given how things go awry in the NBA and the length of the season, I predict a top-ten finish offensively. On defense, they have the Wingstops, Mitch, and Deuce. That core is solid enough to be a top-12 defense.
Miranda: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Kato: The Knicks have the talent and roster to be top ten on both ends of the floor. And as I mentioned earlier, I think the offense will get there one way or another. And while Brunson, and Towns remain very big defensive question marks, Robinson’s re-insertion into the starting lineup, even if it is for 40-50 games this season, should provide the Knicks with a much higher defensive floor, and ceiling. I think the load management, potential injuries, and the installation of a completely new system will lead to a slow start thus holding them back to being fourth or fifth on offense, and ninth or tenth on defense. And while those aren’t the most lofty expectations for a team looking to compete for a championship, as long as they can be healthy, learn the system, and peak during the playoffs, none of it will, or should, matter.
4) How many Knicks will average at least 18 points per game (and which players)?
Losada: Brunson (25+) is a lock. Towns (22+) is a given. Can Bridges (18+) make it a trifecta under Brown’s three-bombs-away system? Here’s hoping!
Zeno: Four. Brunson and Towns are locks, but I think with the improved pace and 3-point volume that Brown emphasizes, we’ll see OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges reach those marks. If that seems unreasonable, just remember: they averaged 18.0 and 17.6 last year.
Richardson: Quatro, Suzy. Brunson, Towns, Bridges, and Anunoby. The latter averaged 18 ppg last season, a career-high for him. He’ll be motivated to beat that number this season.
Miranda: The last time Coach Brown took over a team, the Kings improved from 25th in offensive rating to numero uno. Ergo, every Knick will average at least 18 as the team pours in 250 a game en route to a 74-8 season . . . though at least 25% of the P&T comment sections will kvetch about their defense all the while.
Kato: Four. As is mentioned above, Brunson, and Towns are locks, while Anunoby, and Bridges likely benefits the most from Brown’s emphasis on ball-movement, pace, spacing, and three-point volume.
5) How will the Knicks fare in the In-Season Tournament? Win it all?
Losada: Love it or hate it, the Knicks will become the first-ever IST and Larry O’B winners in the same season. ‘Tis the year, baby.
Zeno: Sure, why not? They seem more than capable of getting to the knockout round for a third straight year, and I’d be shocked if they went out the same way for the third year in a row. At the bare minimum, they’ll get to Vegas.
Richardson: The Knicks drew a friendly group for this year’s Emirates NBA Cup. Milwaukee’s the real test, but Chicago, Miami, and Charlotte shouldn’t scare anyone. If they stay healthy, the Knicks have a legitimate shot to make Vegas interesting again. The semifinals are the floor and a Cup win is my prediction.
Miranda: Hopefully they’ll lose, if only to spare us another ridiculous media cycle of pretending the IST has any relevance for or relation to a playoffs that ends literally seven months later. Christmas is closer to July 4th than the IST is to the Finals. Stop being dummkopfs, dummies.
Kato: The Knicks have what it takes to win the annual “why are we doing this” tournament. But until I see them really showcase their offensive prowess on a more consistent basis, I have a hard time expecting them to be the team we all know they are capable of being. I think they’ll make it decently far because their group drawing isn’t difficult, and they still have Brunson, and Towns. But I see them prioritizing getting in more reps with the new offense over doing whatever it takes to win the tournament, and because of that, I have them bowing out prematurely, and rather unceremoniously.
6) What will be the Knicks’ final record and standing in the Eastern Conference?
Losada: The Eastern Conference will be a struggle to watch. Give me 47 wins and the No. 3 seed (yes, it’ll be that bad) in the East, let the Cavs go away with the No. 1 seed and a first-round elimination, and then go from there.
Zeno: Let’s go with 54 wins and the No. 2 seed. The Cavaliers are built for the regular season, so I anticipate them coasting to the top seed. Come playoff time? Both teams will show their true colors.
Richardson: First in the East, baby.
Miranda: They’ll either have the East’s best regular-season record and lose before the Finals, or win fewer than 50 but reach the Finals.
Kato: I will emphasize once again, that I don’t see this team getting off to a dominant start. They will slog through the first few weeks, and maybe even couple months of the season, as they deal with load management, and learn a new system. They’ll have some ugly, and frustrating losses to lesser teams. And this will undoubtedly happen while the Cavaliers get off to a blazing hot start en route to what’ll likely be another dominant regular season. And that’s fine. The Knicks will hover around 50 wins, and end up as the second, or third seed, and none of it will matter in the grand scheme of things. This season will ultimately be judged on what they do in the postseason-which hopefully sees them at least getting to the finals.
