Knicks' Blueprint to Make Deep Run in 2024 NBA Playoffs
Blue-and-orange tinted glasses aren't needed to picture an NBA championship run actually happening for the New York Knicks.
While they won't enter the playoffs as favorites in the title race, they should be on everyone's short list of teams capable of winning it all.
A lot of things would need to break in their favor, of course, but you'd be hard-pressed to find many past champions who didn't enjoy more than their fair share of good fortunes.
So, what would it take for this team to actually snap a championship drought that dates back to the 1970s? Well, it's funny you should ask, since the whole reason we're here is to build a blueprint for the 'Bockers to enjoy the kind of prolonged postseason run that has eluded them for so long.
Getting—and Staying—Healthy
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If you'll allow us to snag a piece of this low-hanging fruit, let's start with the obvious: The Knicks aren't winning anything of substance without having their best players available.
Their absences have at least dropped in quantity, but the quality of players stuck on the sideline is a major worry. As of this writing, this team remains without Julius Randle, a three-time All-Star; Mitchell Robinson, an athletic, 7'0" presence at both ends; and OG Anunoby, whose January debut almost immediately jolted this group into championship contention.
Anunoby only recently returned from a month-plus absence that included elbow surgery, but he lasted just three games before a "post-surgical flare-up" in the elbow put him back to the injury report.
Hopefully, these injury issues clear up sooner than later, because a deep playoff run is probably otherwise impossible.
Convert Long-Range Looks
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Like most modern offenses, the Knicks are pretty dependent on their perimeter shooting.
Nearly 35 percent of their points are generated on three-point shots, per NBA.com. That's a top-10 mark on the season.
For a team this reliant on the long-ball (12th-most attempts), you'd like to see more efficiency (17th in percentage). When the Knicks are dialed in from distance, they're awfully hard to beat, but that isn't always the case. In their 41 wins, they've shot 39.1 percent from three. In their 27 losses, that connection rate is just 31.9 percent.
Beyond the mathematical boost from the outside shots, they also pull defenses away from the basket and widen the attack lanes for players like Randle and Jalen Brunson. If the spacing is optimal, this is an offense that can support a lengthy playoff run.
Make Depth Matter
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Despite the ascension of Brunson and the overstuffed stat sheets so often supplied by Randle, the Knicks aren't going to overwhelm their playoff opponents with high-end talent. Star power isn't necessarily a weakness, but it's not a strength the way it is for, say, the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks or even the Philadelphia 76ers with a healthy Joel Embiid.
While New York obviously needs Brunson and Randle at their best, that alone wouldn't put championship contention on the table. What the Knicks really need to do is to make their depth advantage—this might be the Association's deepest roster at full-strength—matter.
That won't be easy, since rotations typically shrink in the postseason. Frankly, it won't be possible if deadline additions Bojan Bogdanović and Alec Burks can't produce at their expected levels, or if Josh Hart, their 2023 deadline pickup, can't pump up his shooting rates.
If this roster clicks at the right time, though, coach Tom Thibodeau has a chance to utilize everything it offers. Brunson, Randle and Anunoby will all play a ton if they're healthy, but Thibodeau can mix and match his spots beyond them and ideally do so in a way that gives New York more energy and activity than its top-heavy opponents.
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