This Knicks Team is Winning It All

Edition #167

Intro:

I was scrolling and scrolling for headlines aside from Shohei Ohtani and I finally found it.

Karl Anthony-Towns is traded to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. What a trade. Did you expect that, because I did not?

Instead of giving you all the inside info on the trade (something the Knicks writer here on Substack, Tommy Beer, can do), I’m going to talk about why I think this Knicks team will win the NBA Championship this year.

We’re kicking off the NBA season at Sports Square folks!

This Knicks Team is Winning it All

No question about this one, the Knicks are winning the championship. Please etch them on the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Look at this starting lineup:

Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl Anthony-Towns.

Other than the Celtics, I can’t think of a better lineup! Speaking of Boston, let’s take a look at them

Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford.

I will admit that things went bad for the Knicks here. Take a look at this. They traded away Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, 6 first-round picks, 1 first-round swap, and 1 second-round pick for KAT, Mikal Bridges, and a second-round pick.

But, after all that change, this lineup for the Knicks is really interesting. Most importantly, it’s really good.

Let’s look at every one of the Knicks starters’ strengths.

Brunson: PPG and Contract

Jalen Brunson had 32.4 points per game last year, ranking 2nd in the league (playoffs included). He did this in 77 games, averaging about 35.4 minutes a game. He had a total of 2212 points last year.

His contract is another plus for the Knicks. Brunson would’ve been eligible for a supermax in the 2025 offseason but decided to get things done quickly and team-efficiently. He didn’t defer the money either. What a guy.

Josh Hart: Rebounding and Defense

Josh was all over the boards last year averaging 11.5 rebounds on the season, even though he just barely started half of the games he played. Why worry about the boards with a guy like this on your team? Let him do his thing.

On the defensive side of things, Hart had a career-high season in steals and blocks (tied). He was also super aggressive (which is what every team needs), getting ejected 2 times and gaining 171 fouls on the season.

Mikal Bridges: Defense and Varied Shots

Last year, Mikal Bridges had a career-high 1606 points on the season. Wherever you put him on a basketball court, he will score. I mean, look at this shot chart.

This is good for the Knicks, especially since in 2023, they needed another guy (other than Jalen Brunson) to do this for them.

Onto the defense, in 2022, Bridges made the All-Defensive first team while also being voted 2nd in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He’s 6 foot 6 and has a 7 foot 1 wingspan. I’m guessing it’ll be pretty hard to get around him.

O.G. Anunoby: Defense

The Knicks lacked defense before acquiring O.G., and that’s what they have with him. He’s 6 feet 7 inches, 240 pounds, and has a 7-foot 2-inch wingspan. He has everything you need, like the size, length, strength, and quickness to guard some of the top players in the league like LeBron James and Jayson Tatum.

Since Anunoby was injured during the 23-24 season, let’s sift back to the 2022 season when he was named to the All-Defensive 2nd team and had career highs in steals and blocks. Anunoby is on this team to give the Celtics trouble. As simple as that.

Karl-Anthony Towns: Basketball

Karl-Anthony Towns is just good at basketball.

First off, his shooting. Incredible and where it needs to be for an NBA player, let alone a center. He averaged about 22 points a game last season with about 2 made threes a game.

Now, to his defense. He doesn’t just play defense like a big man, but also like a point guard. While his block number was down last season, he does have the capability to block with 100 block seasons earlier in his career. The steals number was exactly where it needed to be. He could’ve done more if he had played those 20 games that he missed.

Finally, to the big man stuff. He can rebound, not just on the defensive side (where he had 421 rebounds), but also on the offensive side (where he had 94 of those). Still, those are pretty low numbers compared to earlier when he had 296 offensive and 774 defensive. Over the years, the Timberwolves had players like Anthony Edwards come on, stealing the show from KAT.

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I hope that does show you why this is the best team in the NBA. The Knicks have everything of everything. Now, here’s why KAT fits into the Knicks scheme.

You see, the Knicks have needed a reliable center for a while now, and he rebounds the ball very well, is a great rim protector, and is one of the best defenders in the paint.

As I said before, KAT also plays like a PG in some instances and likes to play pick-and-pop stuff. Jalen Brunson does too, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of role New York wants him to take.

The Knicks also needed size, and with the addition of KAT, there’s all of that.

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Conclusion: