The Knicks have spent the first two weeks of the season giving their fans plenty to worry about, but there is one part of this sluggish start that has quietly worked in their favor: they have managed to stay mostly healthy while so many other teams have been hit hard.
That matters because New York has not exactly looked sharp. Two of its three wins came against the Bulls and Nets, and both games were tighter and messier than they should have been. The Knicks still haven’t put together a complete 48 minutes, and the problems have shown up early and often - slow starts, missed shots they normally make, turnovers that don’t fit their profile, and shaky transition defense.
There have been a few bright spots. Karl-Anthony Towns has given the team encouraging early play.
OG Anunoby has flashed some playmaking growth. Jordan Clarkson has helped off the bench.
But the bigger silver lining has flown a little under the radar: New York has avoided the kind of injury wave that has already swallowed up parts of the league.
That stands out even more because the memory of the 2023 Knicks still lingers. That team was derailed by season-changing injuries to Julius Randle and Anunoby, and since then, New York has generally been able to keep its core on the floor.
This season, the league as a whole has already seen a heavy dose of major injuries, and several big names have been sidelined. The Knicks have had their own minor issues - Jalen Brunson, Towns, Josh Hart, Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, and Anunoby have all dealt with injuries at different points in the last couple of years, while Jose Alvarado recently missed four games with an ankle issue. Still, none of those knocks have turned into long absences, with McBride’s sports hernia surgery last season and Shamet’s two shoulder injuries standing out as the exceptions.
There’s some luck in that. There’s also credit due to the Knicks’ training staff, which has drawn praise from players and coaches. Mike Brown’s approach has also helped, since he has not leaned on his starters the way Tom Thibodeau did and has shown a greater willingness to use the bench, especially in the regular season.
The style of play may matter too. This is a slower team with physical players who are still relatively low to the ground, and they don’t really have the kind of young athletes that Williams and Edwards are. They also don’t carry the same kind of injury history as Banchero, Halliburton, and Leonard.
None of that guarantees anything going forward. Health can flip fast in sports.
But that’s exactly why New York’s recent run of relative durability deserves attention. In a league where the pace has picked up and the physical demands keep rising, the Knicks have stayed on their feet better than most.
That doesn’t erase the frustration around the way they’ve played. Plenty of fans are understandably underwhelmed, and that comes with the territory when expectations are high.
But it’s also fair to zoom out a little. This team will probably settle in once the shots start falling and the basketball looks more like the championship version they showed a few months ago.
For now, even if the offense keeps sputtering, the Knicks have at least avoided the kind of injury disaster that can wreck a season before it really gets going. That’s not nothing.
In Other News...
Knicks May Need An Unusual Andre Drummond Fix Longer Than Expected
Andre Drummonds fit with the Knicks has taken on a strangely modern look, with the big man being asked to spend time in the corner and fire away from deep in a role he also handled with the 76ers. It is not the kind of usage most people associate with a center, but the idea is straightforward: if Drummond is willing to stand there and take those shots, the floor opens up for everyone else.
Last season, Drummond put up a career-high number of corner threes and finished at a clip that was close to the league average, which gives New York some reason to keep leaning into the experiment. The trade-off is obvious, since he still struggles to finish at the rim, but the Knicks appear willing to live with that if the spacing helps the offense find cleaner looks for the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Former Knicks Guard Just Landed In An Uncomfortable Spot For New York
Kevin McCullar Jr. has quickly found a new landing spot after his brief run with the Knicks, signing a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors. For New York, it is another reminder of how fluid the back end of the roster can be, especially with players on two-way deals who can move on without much ceremony once a team decides to go in a different direction.
McCullar had been with the Knicks on two-way contracts before being waived earlier this season, and Toronto was able to add him without making a corresponding roster move. He can suit up in up to 45 regular-season games for the Raptors, though his path to the postseason still depends on getting elevated to the standard roster, leaving his next step in Toronto worth watching from a Knicks perspective. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Are Sending Mikal Bridges A Clear Early-Season Message
Mike Brown has wasted little time sending Mikal Bridges a message this season. The Knicks coach has been pulling the starting wing earlier in games than he did a year ago, a notable shift for a player who signed a four-year contract extension and was expected to remain a central part of New Yorks rotation.
Bridges defense was a major factor in the Knicks playoff run last spring, but Brown has made it clear the bar stays high even for established pieces. With New York trying to defend its NBA title, Bridges will need to shake off his early shooting issues and earn back the kind of closing minutes that usually come with his role. [Read more 🡒]