What the New York Knicks still need to become a serious championship contender
They have a starting five of top level, but perhaps they are deficient on the bench and need a true superstar to be more intimidating
There are many ways to see the New York Knicks' issues against the top contenders in the league this year. With a record of 0-7 against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Oklahoma City Thunder, we can firmly state that this version of the team is not good enough, at least for now. Tom Thibodeau and his guys might well fix this in the final 25 games and embark on a long playoff run. Until then, however, everything is on the table in terms of addressing the roster problems. A harsh but possible reality is that they are still one trade away from the true championship contention.
Leon Rose surprised the world by trading Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns, leading to the assumption that New York's core was set. After acquiring OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Towns in one year, sending out five key pieces and six first-round picks, it seemed they had run out of moves. The Knicks' top eight players are 29 years old or younger, giving this group a long runway to compete.
Unfortunately, in the Knicks' seven losses against the league's best, harsh truths about this roster have been exposed. The defensive duo of Jalen Brunson-Towns has been disastrous against any elite offense. Bridges has yet to justify the six first-rounders sent to Brooklyn. Josh Hart needs to shoot with confidence or else opponents will leave him open, creating a terrible spacing. Celtics' coach, Joe Mazzulla, demonstrated this emphatically in Sunday's blowout. Their depth is not strong enough to withstand an 82-game season, although much of it is due to injuries and a pricey starting lineup.
Lastly, NBA history tells us that a team needs a generational player, a top-five talent in the league, to lift the trophy. In fact, the last team to win a title without a consensually top-five player was the 2014 Spurs. That San Antonio team had already won four rings and was possibly the greatest ball movement group of all time. They also had a legendary coach and several Hall of Famers. While Brunson is an incredible player, he will have to work hard to reach the Hall of Fame, as will this team. Obviously, the Knicks could win the championship as soon as this year, but it would certainly be a historic precedent.
If the remainder of this season shows that Leon Rose needs to make some calls this summer, he has two objectives. First, acquire a true superstar to lead the Knicks into legitimate contention. Second, he may need to address New York's glaring defensive weakness through a trade.
The Knicks' Objective
To meet both requirements, Rose would have to make a big move involving Towns. He will never move Brunson, and rightly so, as he has a close relationship with his family and was the one to bring New York out of the darkness. The most likely move going forward would be a Towns-centered trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has silently grown dissatisfied with Milwaukee's decline. If the Bucks fail for the fourth consecutive season, he could be available this summer. Bringing the double MVP in exchange for Towns would raise New York's ceiling while fixing their major defensive flaw.
If Antetokounmpo doesn't move soon, it will be much tougher. There are numerous names to speculate about coming to NY, but most are questionable in terms of whether they would even make the Knicks better. One to watch is Jaren Jackson Jr, who will be a free agent next season. He would be the ideal partner for Brunson, but Memphis will do everything to retain him.
We will have to wait and see how the NBA landscape changes in the coming months and who becomes available. At some point, however, NY might have to flip Towns, Bridges, or even Anunoby to reach their championship ceiling.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Lo que le falta a New York Knicks para ser un serio candidato al anillo
