Shocking reason New York Knicks will likely stumble out of the gate to begin season

The New York Knicks may not be completely healthy to start the season and it could force them to stumble out of the gate.

If the New York Knicks had been 100 percent healthy at the end of last season, they probably make the Eastern Conference Finals. New York likely wouldn't have beaten the Boston Celtics, but an argument could be made that they probably would've put up a better fight than the Indiana Pacers. But we'll never know for sure. Because the Knicks weren't 100 percent healthy and it eventually caught up with the team in Game 7 in the conference semifinals.

Without Jalen Brunson (who broke his hand in Game 7), Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks saw their seasons slowly slip away. Making the bold move for Mikal Bridges this offseason, the hope is that New York will be even better this year. However, there could be one thing that keeps the Knicks from getting off to a quick start to the season.

According to Knicks reporter Ian Begley, there's probably a good chance the team is still not going to be 100 percent healthy when training camp begins. It's still too early to tell whether that will still be the case when the regular season begins, but it's certainly something to monitor.

Begley believes that Brunson will be ready to go when training camp begins, but there are still real concerns about Randle and Robinson being ready. In fact, Begley noted that it would be "surprising" if Randle was ready for the start of training camp. However, there is hope he can be ready for the start of the season. The same could be said about Robinson who "has to clear several hurdles" before he's cleared for full participation.

The New York Knicks could get off to a slow start

If Randle and Robinson aren't able to participate in training camp, it's going to likely force New York into a slow start to the season. Even if they are ready for the start of the season, which is far from a guarantee, not having those training camp reps will hurt the team's cohesion - especially considering Randle didn't play much with OG Anunoby last season and the fact he'll also have to gain some comfort alongside Mikal Bridges.

Add the fact that New York has almost zero depth behind Robinson at the center position and the Knicks could have some early difficulties at the start of the season before they truly hit their stride.

The Knicks are still going to be one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference this season, but we shouldn't be surprised if they struggle a bit as they fight to get healthy early on.