The Knicks are rolling into a busy stretch with real momentum, and the next three opponents each bring a different test. New York has won six of seven, and after beating the Bucks on Tuesday, it gets the Cavaliers on Wednesday, the Pacers on Friday and the Raptors on Sunday.
Cleveland is the first team in the path, and the matchup starts with the glass. The Cavaliers are fourth in the league in defensive rebounding, powered by Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, two big bodies who usually make life miserable for opponents.
That kind of edge works against most teams. It didn’t work against New York four days ago, when the Knicks won the game and controlled the rebounds, pushing their usual advantage even higher.
The numbers tell the story plainly. The Knicks are second in offensive rebounding, and Karl-Anthony Towns is piling up boards at a level that stands out even next to Victor Wembanyama.
It’s not just total rebounds, either; Towns is ahead of him per 36 minutes. Andre Drummond is right behind, out-rebounding the entire league.
Against a Knicks team that attacks the glass this hard, Cleveland may have to drag the pace down and cut down the number of possessions just to keep the damage manageable.
The Cavaliers also have an unusual wrinkle in their rebounding mix. Allen is first on the team in defensive rebounds, Mobley is third, and Mario Hezonja is second.
However they try to handle New York on Wednesday, the bar is not especially high to call it a positive night. A close loss would still sting, but it would at least stop a run of five straight double-digit defeats to the Knicks.
Indiana brings a different problem on Friday. The latest on Tyrese Haliburton is that there is no timetable for his return, and the Pacers are also without Ben Sheppard.
Braden Smith starts at point guard, though he sometimes sits for entire quarters or even halves. This is not the same Pacers team from a couple of seasons ago.
What they do have is a glaring issue on the boards. Indiana is last in the league in offensive rebounds, and that’s a problem in general - but against the Knicks, it becomes a bigger one.
The Pacers are also 24th in three-point accuracy, so second-chance opportunities matter even more. Offensive rebounds can create cleaner looks from deep, especially when defenses are scrambling to recover.
New York is not the kind of opponent you want to be sloppy against in that area.
That’s because the Knicks squeeze teams in more ways than one. Their work on the defensive glass is a big reason they’re among the league leaders in allowing the fewest field goal, two-point and free-throw attempts.
If the other team doesn’t get the ball back, it can’t score. Add in an offense that doesn’t turn it over much, and the Pacers will need to hit threes to have a chance to keep the game in a comfortable range.
When New York shuts the faucet off, there’s not much dripping through.
Sunday’s trip to Toronto brings the most intriguing defensive chess match, even if the Raptors may not be at full strength. Toronto was one of the trendy East dark-horse picks after taking the Cavs to seven games last spring and adding Kawhi Leonard.
With Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles, the Raptors can put together a defensive trio no other team can match. But Leonard won’t be available when the Knicks come to town for the first of two straight games in Toronto.
Barnes is also uncertain after missing three games with a groin injury. If Toronto is compromised at the point of attack and Immanuel Quickley has missed the last couple of games with a hamstring issue, the Knicks are built to take advantage. How much Mike Brown wants to reveal this early in the season against a possible playoff opponent is another question.
Even so, the matchup is easy to get excited about. Towns, operating as a 7-foot hub 25 feet from the basket, and Jalen Brunson, with his stops, starts, hesitation moves, footwork and feints, give New York two different ways to pick apart a defense.
Against a healthy Raptors group, that would be a fascinating series-long problem to solve. With Toronto likely short-handed and the Knicks not eager to reveal too much yet, the best version of that showdown may have to wait.
In Other News...
Knicks Backcourt Suddenly Has Another Young Guard Worth Watching
A former lottery pick is on the verge of landing in the Knicks orbit, giving Westchester another young guard worth tracking this winter. Rob Dillingham, who was waived by the Hornets in September, is expected to sign with the Westchester Knicks once the waivers process is complete, adding a player with real pedigree to the organizations developmental pipeline.
Dillingham entered the league as the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and has already bounced through stops with the Timberwolves and Bulls in his first two NBA seasons. He has shown flashes along the way, but he still has not carved out a steady home on an NBA roster, which makes this next step a chance to reset his stock while giving the Knicks a closer look at a guard who still has plenty of upside. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks May Need A Real Tyler Kolek Rotation Test Soon
Tyler Kolek has quietly started to carve out a real role for the Knicks in recent games, and the minutes have been more than just late-game housekeeping. He got a run against Milwaukee before the outcome was settled, then followed it up with a 10-minute stint against the Bulls in which he handed out five assists without a turnover, the kind of clean, composed stretch that can catch a coaching staffs attention.
What comes next is the more interesting question for New York. The Knicks may want to see Kolek alongside a starter soon, especially with Cleveland on the schedule, to get a better read on whether he can organize the offense against a higher-level opponent and not just in spot duty. It is still a speculative idea, but it feels like the sort of test that could tell the Knicks a lot about how much trust they can place in him moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Brown Sounds Off After Knicks Loss Raises Brunson Concern
The Knicks loss to Cleveland came with a familiar kind of frustration, the sort that lingers long after the final buzzer because it leaves you wondering what might have been different. Jalen Brunson still led New York with 27 points in 35 minutes, but the lack of trips to the line stood out in a game the Knicks dropped by eight, especially with the Cavaliers finishing with 14 more free-throw attempts.
Mike Brown did not hide his irritation afterward, pointing to the officiating and the disparity at the stripe as a major issue. For a Knicks team trying to keep pace in a tight stretch, the concern is not just the result itself but whether Brunsons night without a free-throw attempt becomes part of a bigger pattern worth watching. [Read more 🡒]