New York Knicks: Are They Pretenders?

The Knicks have two stars this season: Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson. Both are having All-NBA seasons. Towns ranks among the top three centers in the league. Brunson is one of the best guards on the Knicks. Together, they could be a powerful duo. The team has strong wing depth with OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges. They can guard the top players on the other team. This versatility has made many see New York as a contender. But many still wonder if the Knicks can be a finals team. They never managed to beat the Cavs this regular season or the Celtics, where they only won 1 game out of 4. The Knicks may not be as deep as the later teams, but they have a strong starting five that competes well. The Pistons have a good chance to beat them in the second round. Cade Cunningham leads them with strong depth. This could hurt the organization. They pay their starters well, and recent coach firings might cost Thibs his job.

The postseason is crucial for head coach Tom Thibodeau. He transformed this team from a loser into a winner. The firings of Mike Malone and Taylor Jenkins show that no coach's job is safe. The organization can let them go if it thinks they aren't a good fit. NY has done well in the regular season. Yet, they have never made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The team traded Julius Randle for a better player. The deal for Mikal Bridges adds more pressure. The Knicks need to make a deep playoff run. They have invested a lot to compete, and one player, Leon Rose, and the front office spent on is OG Anunoby.

OG Anunoby last paid bank this offseason for five years, $215 million. The 27-year-old has championship experience from playing with the Kawhi Leonard-led Toronto Raptors. OG's game resembles Kawhi Leonard's. He can shoot threes and play off-ball. He also cuts to the basket and finishes strong. One of his best traits is his defense. He plays with a strong physical style against opponents, making it difficult to score on him. In April, he has been incredible, putting up 32 points in the Suni Lee game against the Suns. OG will be key in the post-season. He has a strong track record against the Suns. He even hit a buzzer beater against the Celtics in the Bubble. The Knicks paid him for his ability to play off his teammates and defend. The New York front office got him and Mikal Bridges to shine and take pressure away from the main players.

After the Suns traded for Kevin Durant, Mikal Bridges worked on his offensive game. He became the main option. He no longer needed to guard the best player or stay in the corner while Chris Paul and Devin Booker created plays. One thing Mikal deserves credit for is his improvement in creating shots for himself. While also being able to knock down some corner threes. But his defensive regression is worrying. He used to be able to guard the forwards and the guards of the league, and it seems like it has diminished. The Celtics have strong forwards, and the Cavs excel with guards. So, he needs to improve his defense. And with the amount of assets given up for Mikal, the hope is that he can hoop. The Knicks are a starter-heavy team but the depth is horrid.

New York has bad depth, which is worrying as they go up against a deep Pistons team. The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks are the deepest teams and can have a healthy rotation. Cam Payne is a player who is a useful rotational player, being the 10th man on the roster. He has experience in the playoffs, being on the Suns in his tenth season in the league. Along with Landry Shamet, who has struggled to find a role on the team. Deuce McBride is a solid rotational player, and it's hard to imagine him being a spark plug. Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson will share minutes. Robinson has been injured for much of the season. There is a lot of pressure on Thibs and the Knicks to perform. As there are players on expensive players, and the lack of depth makes it hard to imagine them winning. Putting the head coach in the hot seat if they underachieve this season.

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