The New York Knicks have gotten past their slow start to the season and are now one of the better teams in the league. As of Thursday, they are 17-7 on the season and have won eight of their last nine games, and are 15-4 since dropping their first three road games.
The Knicks are clicking despite not being healthy
The offense as a whole is clicking, and the defense is showing signs of improvement as well. They are currently playing the best basketball they have played this season and are proving why they were in the title contenders conversation earlier this season.
What is perhaps more impressive about this strong start is that they are doing this while not being at full strength. They have dealt with a good amount of injuries this season that have cost players games, but they are persevering despite that.
Some of their most notable injuries have come from their bench. Miles McBride, their top bench scorer, suffered a high ankle sprain earlier this week and could miss some time, and Landry Shamet has been out for a few weeks with a shoulder sprain.
Additionally, they have played nine games without OG Anunoby, two without Jalen Brunson, and have periodically sat out Mitchell Robinson for load management. Furthermore, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart have been playing through injuries of their own.
The Knicks have been a resilient group
Despite being banged up, head coach Mike Brown has gotten the most out of his current group, and they are all playing exceptionally well. Having that kind of cohesion is vital towards making a potential title run.
“We’re starting to figure out who we are,” Brown said, via ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. “Early in the season, we had a lot of injuries during the preseason, so I didn’t have a good feel for this team, or as good a feel as I needed to have, and that’s part of the reason why we [have struggled] on the road.”
Brown has the Knicks in prime position to make a strong playoff run through the Eastern Conference, and he is doing so without having a fully healthy roster. It’s worth wondering just how good the group will perform when it returns to full strength.
In the meantime, Brown and the Knicks will pursue their first NBA Cup title. They head to Las Vegas this weekend for a matchup in the semifinals with the Orlando Magic.