The franchise has steadily improved since Tom Thibodeau took over the New York Knicks head coaching job in 2020. Now, after a big-time offseason trade to acquire Mikal Bridges, the Knicks are ready to contend for a championship.
However, if they want to make it to the NBA Finals, they must get past the Boston Celtics, who dominated the NBA last season and held opponents to under 100 points per game in 11 of their 19 postseason outings.
Former Celtics champion Brian Scalabrine expects the Knicks to be a worthy challenger for Boston this season. In a recent interview with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, the Celtics color commentator praised Thibodeau’s work while warning the league to “prepare.”
“I mean you gotta prepare for that,” Scalabrine said. “They didn’t give up much. When healthy and adding Bridges? They’re legitimate. I think they’re a big time team, a big time defensive team since the OG Anunoby trade. His advanced analytics were off the charts.”
If healthy, Anunoby will have a significant role to play for Thibodeau next season. In the 1,585 possessions Anunoby played, the Knicks were in the 99th percentile for defensive rating, holding teams to 101.8 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning The Glass.
Thibodeau has slowly built a roster with talent at every position. Everyone can guard their yard and score from multiple levels, and most players can create their own shot either off movement or on the bounce. Adding Bridges will ensure the Knicks can match up with any wing-heavy roster, with the Celtics sitting at the forefront of everybody’s minds.
Still, the Knicks still need to prove their current roster can make a deep push. There are injury concerns surrounding Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle. New York will need all of that trio to be healthy for a long playoff run if it wants to win the Eastern Conference and move on to the NBA Finals.
Thibodeau has spent years crafting a team in his image. He has finally achieved his vision; now, the Knicks must learn to live with the pressure of being a top team in the NBA and prove they can produce at the highest level.
Otherwise, they could enter the 2025-26 season with multiple question marks hanging over their heads.
