Assessing the ceiling of the rapidly improving Knicks
Picked to finish 10th in the Eastern Conference by ESPN in October, the Knicks are fifth in the standings and have the league's eighth-best record with five games remaining in the regular season.
The Knicks (44-33) are four games ahead of the seventh-place Miami Heat. The top six seeds qualify for the playoffs while seeds 7-10 go to the play-In tournament. In all likelihood, the Knicks will be the five-seed and play the Cavaliers in the first round.
The Knicks have a roster that is capable of pulling off a deep postseason run, with one of the league's more underrated starting groups in Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson. Barrett, Randle and Brunson average 19 points or more.
Randle, a two-time All-Star and catalyst of New York's surprising season, is having the best season of his career, averaging 25.1 points and 10 rebounds.
In June, the Knicks received criticism for signing Brunson to a four-year, $104 million deal, but the point guard has been a revelation. Former Knicks star Greg Anthony recently chided the Mavericks for not keeping him.
In Brunson, the Knicks finally have a true franchise point guard, a necessity in the postseason. He is averaging 23.6 points, 6.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds.
The Knicks also have one of the NBA's stronger benches.
Per OddsChecker, Immanuel Quickley, a two-way guard, is favored to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award. In Monday's win against the Houston Rockets, Quickley dropped 40 points.
Josh Hart, a versatile, two-way wing, is averaging 11 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Obi Toppin, one of the NBA's most vicious dunkers, would be a starter for most teams. Despite playing limited minutes, Isaiah Hartenstein has the highest offensive rating on the Knicks.
The Knicks have played well against three of the four teams ahead of them in the standings. New York is 2-1 against the Cavs, 2-2 against the 76ers and 3-1 against the Celtics (including three straight wins).
The problem for the Knicks is if they get past Cavs in the first round, they probably will play the Bucks in the second. The Knicks are 0-3 against Milwaukee this season, with losses by 17, 16 and 15 points, and 25-8 against the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks overall.
New York's ceiling is the second round, but that would still mark a successful season for the Knicks, who haven't advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2013.
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