The New York Knicks are at a franchise turning point. But if the Celtics and the 76ers are the teams of the future, what will the Knicks’ role be in the Eastern Conference?
How will New York basketball fare in the Celtics and 76ers’ quest for dominance? With a basic understanding of recent history, you’d think “not well”. But the Knicks are actually changing from the top-down, and this time it may be for real.
Beasts of the East
On one hand, the Boston Celtics just pushed LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to a grueling seven-game Eastern Conference Finals. They lost the series, but won much more: respect, fear, and promise. Rookie Jayson Tatum (20) has skyrocketed in unwritten power rankings, and fellow youngsters Jaylen Brown (21) and Terry Rozier (24) have made themselves household names. Rounded out by do-it-all glue guy Marcus Smart (24), this core has shown that they will rise to any occasion.
Come October, the Celtics will have healthy versions of Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving under contract. Tertiary All-Star Al Horford will continue anchoring the talent around him. Lineups will be reshuffled, and while Rozier may be relegated back to a backup role, the C’s will ultimately have a deeper bench. With a Conference Finals appearance already under their belt, this team hoards years of unlocked potential.
On the other hand, the Philadelphia 76ers fell to Boston in the Conference Semifinals, 4-1. The games were more competitive than the win/loss column may intimate, but the Celtics simply had more tricks up their sleeves. The young Sixers showed that while they have work to do, they aren’t about to settle – they’re ready to win. With Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons leading the charge, the Sixers’ ceiling is stratospheric.
Surrounded by capable vets, Embiid and Simmons won 53 games in their first full season together. The Sixers could easily land an All-Star in the offseason and get Markelle Fultz up to speed. With these improvements and barring catastrophic injuries, it would be hard to not call them 2019 contenders.
New York, caught geographically between Philadelphia and Boston, now finds itself trapped on either side by two emerging juggernauts. The 76ers and the Celtics already enjoy one of the deepest, oldest rivalries in NBA history. They’ve been minted to renew that competition annually, now that their junior superstars have taken the NBA by storm.
With the Knicks looking to create their own youth movement, New Yorkers wonder, where is their window and when will it open? But before we have windows, we must first have walls. And what’s a wall without a steady foundation?