Drew Maresca Articles - Page 3

The New York Knicks recently lost a nail-biter in overtime to the Los Angeles Lakers. They also lost All-Star points guard Jalen Brunson to an ankle injury. Despite the doubly bad loss, the Knicks should look on the bright side: they were incredibly competitive—and potentially on their way to a win— against a very good […]

The New York Knicks are nearly whole. They welcomed Mitchell Robinson back last week, and he is in the process of ramping up his minutes per game. But as Robinson returned, Karl-Anthony Towns sat out due to personal reasons. And that’s alarming now—and potentially damaging if it persists. Towns missed the Knicks 114-102 home loss […]

The New York Knicks are now as complete a team as they can be. New York’s Mitchell Robinson returned from an injury against the Memphis Grizzlies, helping to secure the victory. And while the major narrative around the Knicks is that they can’t beat the elite teams in the NBA, they are now 4-0 against […]

The New York Knicks’ center Mitchell Robinson is almost back from injury. Robinson could return as soon as this weekend. And he will add significant size, length, and rebounding to a team in need of help with all three aspects of the game. And while the Knicks probably need more than just Robinson to compete […]

The New York Knicks are very clearly undermanned against the elite teams in the NBA. Granted, Mitchell Robinson will return in short order. But the Knicks’ depth will still inevitably be a problem for the remainder of this season—and that’s fine because New York took care of their starting lineup last offseason. So, the unfortunate […]

Generally speaking, the New York Knicks are in fine shape. They are currently in third-place in the Eastern Conference, and they don’t even have their former starting center, Mitchell Robinson, back from an injury he suffered in last season’s playoffs. Still, major cracks are beginning to show. Namely, New York has failed to live up […]

The New York Knicks have been without a backup center for the entirety of the 2024-25 so far. That’s 54 games without sufficient depth at a key position. And while Karl-Anthony Towns has played more than valiantly (and made a decent case for first team All-NBA), New York has badly missed Mitchell Robinson. Fortunately, Robinson’s […]

Every game matters in the NBA, and that is especially true for the New York Knicks. The Knicks are on pace to end the season with a better record than last season, when they went 50-32. However, unlike last season, New York will probably struggle to jump to the second seed. But jumping to a […]

The New York Knicks enter the All-Star break on a positive note. After beating the rival Indiana Pacers on the road, they defeated the Atlanta Hawks in overtime on the second night of a back-to-back. While New York is still prone to inconsistent play, it seems like the Knicks have been most consistent of late. Further, […]

The New York Knicks were pretty quiet at the 2024 trade deadline. The Knicks made just one trade, adding Delon Wright from the Milwaukee Bucks. New York was definitely outdone by trades like the one completed by their Eastern Conference rival Cleveland Cavaliers. And their recent blowout loss to the Boston Celtics demonstrated some holes […]

The New York Knicks helped facilitate a deal that saw Kyle Kuzma land with the Eastern Conference rival Milwaukee Bucks. The main part of the deal saw the Bucks send out Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma, which could very well backfire. The Knicks involvement came after rumors swirled for weeks regarding the availability of Jericho […]

The New York Knicks were rolling before their recent loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Knicks won five straight and showed balance they hadn’t previously demonstrated. Still, New York has one major need, and this team can’t expect to compete for a championship without addressing the backup center spot as Mitchell Robinson remains out. […]

The New York Knicks have been on an absolute tear of late, most recently beating the Denver Nuggets 122-112. Their win over Denver marks their fifth-straight victory, and they’ve won those five games by a combined total of 83 points. Even reigning MVP Nikola Jokic complimented the Knicks, calling them championship contenders. And before their […]

The New York Knicks are the only team in the NBA with two All-Star starters, which is pretty fair considering how effective their starting unit has been. The Knicks starting five have played significantly more minutes than any other five-man lineup in the NBA, and they still boast a +4.2 net rating. But considering how […]

The New York Knicks starting lineup is likely set for the foreseeable future. After adding Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges last off-season, there are few remaining moves that could improve a starting until that features two All-Star starters. But their bench can still use some help. The Knicks bench ranks dead last in offensive rating, […]

The New York Knicks are on a two game winning streak after a successful victory against the Atlanta Hawks and a triumph in Mikal Bridges’ first trip back to Brooklyn. They might not be firing on all cylinders, but a win is a win. And New York is only two games behind the Boston Celtics […]

The New York Knicks are back to their up-and-down ways. After capping their first three-game losing streak this season with an embarrassing 26-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Knicks stormed back to beat the Milwaukee Bucks by 34 points. Much of the Knicks’ inconsistencies have to do with a lack of depth and the […]

The New York Knicks are well-positioned for a deep playoff run this season. Exactly how deep, however, depends on if and when they get fully healthy. New York was already relatively thin in terms of its reserves. They’ve been without backup guard Miles McBride for the past five games, although the West Virginia guard was […]

Even after their recent signing of Landry Shamet, the New York Knicks need help on their bench. That much is obvious. The Knicks were 24-10 and on a nine-game winning streak before their last two games. Then they lost two in-a-row to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls on back-to-back nights. Now, fans are […]

The 2024-25 New York Knicks are off to a great start. They are 24-10 and on a nine-game winning streak. They are five games ahead of their pace at the same point last season (19-15). And while New York was licking its wounds after losing Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder last Summer, much […]

The New York Knicks continued their winning ways on the eve of New Year’s Eve. They defeated the Washington Wizards for their eighth straight victory, which put with within one half-game of the second-place Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings. And on the whole, things are looking pretty good in the Big Apple. Karl-Anthony […]

The New York Knicks are currently vibing. They have won eight of their last 10 games, and they are presently the third-seed in the Eastern Conference despite playing more road games (17) than home (14). Long story short, there is a lot to celebrate. Karl-Anthony Towns is playing like an MVP. Jalen Brunson has figured […]

The New York Knicks announced the signing of veteran shooting guard Landry Shamet. The signing comes after New York waved Shamet earlier this year after he suffered a shoulder injury in a pre-season game. But Shamet joining the team was always part of the plan, and he adds another versatile veteran to the Knicks bench. […]

The New York Knicks are on a roll of late. They are winners of seven of their last 10 games, and 12 of their last 16. A good deal of their success can be attributed to how well the Knicks have moved the ball. On an individual level, Karl-Anthony Towns has played incredibly well, too. […]

The New York Knicks have played relatively well despite facing an easier schedule of late and dealing with size and roster limitations that have hindered their ability to defend and rebound the basketball. They have won seven of their last 10 games, and they have continued their high-octane ways, scoring 115 or more points in […]

The New York Knicks are obviously not as good at rebounding the basketball as they were a season ago. Despite holding the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks rank poorly in terms of rebounds. They are just 25th in rebounds per game (42.4). What’s more, they are an abysmal 27th in offensive rebounds […]

The New York Knicks continue to be a talented—and incredibly inconsistent—team. They were winners of five of their last six games, entering play on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, despite some poor refereeing, the Knicks gave away their latest game to the Atlanta Hawks 108-100, a game in which they led by as much as 11 points […]

The New York Knicks continue to struggle to lockdown an identity. They figuratively take two steps forward and one step back. For example, after recently winning four consecutive games including a 24-point blowout of the Charlotte Hornets, they came out incredibly flat at home against the Detroit Pistons. But regardless, the Knicks are making progress, […]

The New York Knicks are an interesting case as far as age is concerned. They are fairly young, with an average age of 26.3 years old, which is essentially right in the middle of the NBA (18th). There are no important players who are older than 30, meaning everyone is essentially in their respective prime—which […]

The New York Knicks have a lot to be thankful for this season. They added a multi-time All-Star center and a (seemingly) ideal third star to a team that was already incredibly capable. Yes, they lost some important pieces, but everything should amount to a net gain. So, while there seems to be uncertainty around […]

The New York Knicks are a shell of their last-season selves. Specifically, the Knicks haven’t developed a consistent identity … yet. Much of the problem lies in defense and rebounding, areas in which they dominated in 2023-24. But it’s not entirely the team’s fault. The Knicks are playing shorthanded, especially up front, where they have […]

The New York Knicks, and specifically their starting lineup, undoubtedly qualify as a “superteam”. They added former All-Defense wing Mikal Bridges and a four-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns to a team with two or three other stars—one of whom, Jalen Brunson, is a potential MVP candidate. However, as we’ve seen in the recent past, superteams […]

The New York Knicks’ 2023-24 season was a successful one. Granted, injuries held New York back from reaching their full potential; however, they still advanced to within one win from the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s quite the accomplishment for a team that had only advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs in two of […]

The New York Knicks have been objectively disappointing through the team’s first 15 games. However, it’s worth mentioning that they have the exact same record as they did at the same point in the season in 2023-24 (9-6). So, it’s not as bad as some fans might assume. Still, the Knicks have some holes to […]

Mikal Bridges has had an awkward start to his tenure as a member of the New York Knicks. Bridges looked like a major missing piece. He was widely considered an ideal third star who happened to be moonlighting as the Brooklyn Nets’ best player. So, joining the Knicks was a logical fit, as he was […]

The New York Knicks are clearly struggling to regain footing after a surprisingly successful 2023-24 campaign. They can’t seem to regain their gritty identity that dictated much of what they did on the floor last season. Sadly, that makes sense considering all of the changes and injuries the roster experienced. Objectively, the biggest change of […]

The New York Knicks continue to search for answers this season. After a convincing 22-point win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night led to a fiery post game tirade from Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Knicks fell flat against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, giving up 132 points in a loss where they held the lead […]

The New York Knicks continue to demonstrate some flaws. Sure, the referees played a role in the team’s most recent loss to the Houston Rockets, which coach Tom Thibodeau mused about in the postgame press conference. However, there were also some serious issues on display. Most of them are not entirely new, but the fact […]

The New York Knicks were dealt a bad hand to start the 2024-25 season. After reconfiguring their roster pretty aggressively last offseason, they started off 2024-25 facing four of the top-eight Eastern Conference teams from last season, including both teams that advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks have fared fine, going 2-2. But […]