New York Knicks: Don’t assume regression for the Knicks in 2021-22
Don’t expect the New York Knicks to take a big step back.
The New York Knicks were one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of the 2020-21 NBA season. They made a return to the playoffs and actually finished as a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.
Even though their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks didn’t exactly go as planned, as the Knicks fell in five games to the Hawks, there’s no question that last season has to be viewed back as an absolute success for New York.
They took a big step forward in their development as a franchise and will be looking to take another step this season. Though, the growing expectation for this team this season seems to be falling by the wayside. As other Eastern Conference teams have improved during the offseason, many have identified the Knicks as a potential team that could take a big step back of this season.
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Because the Knicks didn’t make any grand additions during the offseason, with the exception of Kemba Walker, there’s a growing sense that New York might fall out of the top four and could potentially be one of the final two seeds to make the playoffs in the East (if they make it at all).
However, I don’t think that’s entirely fair. There’s no question that the Knicks didn’t make the splash move that many believe that they needed in order to take another step forward in the progression, but at the same time, this is not a team that didn’t do anything at all during the offseason either.
We also have to remember that there’s also another good chance this team improves simply based on internal progression.
New York isn’t a veteran-laden team that made the playoffs simply because they made splash veteran additions two years ago. They made the playoffs because some other young players were beginning to pay dividends and Julius Randle emerged as a true star in this league.
None of that is changing and the Knicks still added some pieces during the offseason that should make this team better.
What the New York Knicks did well last season
The Knicks were one of the best defensive teams in the league, and that likely shouldn’t change heading into this season. There might be a slight drop-off with Walker, considering he struggles on that end of the floor, but Tom Thibodeau should help create some schemes to help hide him.
The Knicks were also one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league, and that helped when their overall offense struggled. There’s no indication that their shooting will take a dive this season, even if they aren’t still one of the top 5 shooting teams.
Walker should also help in terms of their overall offense as he can apply pressure to the point of attack and help create opportunities for other players on the floor.
Next. NBA Trade Rumors: Ranking the 10 most likely star players to be moved in 2021. dark
There’s this false sense of thinking that the Knicks are going to take a big step back this season. But there’s nothing that of substance that agrees with that line of thinking.