The New York Knicks, despite having low hopes at the start of the season, pulled off their most successful run in 25 years, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Indiana Pacers in six games.
However, the Knicks’ front office went completely sideways, making the decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau just days after the season ended, clearly embracing a championship-or-bust mentality moving forward.
Performance
The Knicks wrapped up the 2024-25 regular season with a 51-31 record, finishing third in the Eastern Conference and securing consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time since the mid-1990s under Patrick Ewing.
In raw numbers, they performed a bit better this season compared to last, securing an additional game and extending their off-season run much further. More importantly, they proved they could win even when making changes to their roster, potentially shifting the core of their team.
The front office made it clear they were willing to do whatever it took to win. The Knicks traded five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn, then sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, along with another first-round pick, to Minnesota for Karl-Anthony Towns. All of this was to maximize the prime of their emerging star, Jalen Brunson, creating a core of KAT, Brunson, and OG Anunoby.
Jalen Brunson was again the squad’s undisputed leader, even with KAT on the floor, averaging 26.0 points and 7.3 assists per game, and was also named the team’s first captain in six years.
Towns was no slouch, though, providing the inside presence the Knicks really needed, averaging 26.0 points and 12.8 rebounds. The duo’s chemistry also came along quite well throughout the season, with Towns finding his rhythm after a slow start that saw him average just nine shots per game.
That being said, the season wasn’t without its challenges. The Knicks ranked 26th in pace and struggled with bench depth issues, as their reserves ranked last in minutes per game, further straining the starters.
New York was dead last in bench points per game at 21.7, an honestly embarrassing 4.5 points behind the 29th-ranked team. This over-reliance on just a few key players would ultimately be their downfall in the long run, as deep playoff runs require broader contributions.
All in all, the Knicks had both strong and weak points, posting a +4.2 net rating, which ranked 8th in the league. They boasted the 5th-best offensive rating (118.5) but only the 14th-best defensive rating (114.3). Simply speaking, their offence was on fire throughout the season, but even with the addition of KAT, their defence left a lot to be desired.
Playoff Performance
The postseason was a rollercoaster for Knicks fans, as the team managed to break into the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, stepping on the Detroit Pistons in the first round before knocking out an ailing Boston Celtics team in six games.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, though. New York lost their first two of three clashes at Madison Square Garden in round one before cleaning up and winning three back-to-back meetings to close out the series. Brunson and Towns led the way throughout, with the former averaging 32 points and 11 assists and the latter contributing 27 points and nine rebounds per night.
However, Detroit was just a warm-up. The real cherry on top was their second-round upset over the favourite Boston Celtics. The Knicks managed to pull out multiple double-digit comebacks, including a pair of 20-point rallies to grab two key games over the Celtics. At the same time, Boston lost Jayson Tatum to a season-ending Achilles injury during the series when the Knicks already held a 2-1 lead. With or without Tatum, they were likely winning that series – it was no fluke.
Unfortunately, the Eastern Conference Finals exposed the team’s limits in a pretty painful way. Despite having home-court advantage, the Knicks lost both games at MSG to open the series, with their starting line-up being outscored by 29 points in 43 minutes during the first two meetings.
That embarrassing epic Game 1 collapse was also rough to watch, as the Knicks blew a 14-point lead in the final two minutes and 50 seconds before losing in overtime. Many of the fans went to bed that night in tears.
Indiana really made the Knicks’ faults look huge in that last series, with the starting five getting outclassed almost across the board. Josh Hart, Bridges, Brunson, Anunoby, and Towns had a concerning -6.2 net rating, which, against a fast team like Indiana, wasn’t going to cut it.
Next Season Outlook
The Knicks enter the 2025 offseason with a mix of stability and uncertainty. Just three days after their playoff elimination, the organization fired Tom Thibodeau, despite his successful five-year stint. Team president Leon Rose stated the decision reflected their singular focus on winning a championship, but many fans are unsure if that was the right call.
From a roster perspective, the Knicks still have their core locked in place for the most part. Brunson, Towns, Anunoby, and Hart are all under contract for at least three more seasons, with Bridges expected to sign an extension soon. This should give the core of this team more than enough time to grow together and hopefully make their way back to the Conference Finals and maybe even the NBA Finals themselves.
However, there are still some rough waters ahead for Knicks fans. New York are entering the offseason with a $200 million payroll and sit $3.8 million over the first apron, meaning they have little to no flexibility when it comes to trades or free agents. The team need to address their depth issues, but they don’t have a ton of options lining up.
The most likely scenario involves adding depth through some cheaper role players who slot into the roster well, rather than trying to acquire another highly valuable star. They also have only one tradable first-round pick in the next seven years, so they better hope some free agents are looking for a shot at a ring instead of just a payday.
Nonetheless, with the Celtics’ championship window looking somewhat rocky at the moment due to Tatum’s injury and the Cavaliers consistently underperforming in the playoffs, the Knicks are in the best spot they’ve probably ever been in as an organization. The foundation is strong, but they really need to find the right coach, along with a couple of solid supporting pieces. If they do that, a championship might be on the cards in their future.
