Drew Maresca Articles - Page 5

“Draft and stash” players rarely pan out. It’s not that there is something inherently flawed with players who prefer to continue playing elsewhere. It’s that most draft and stash guys aren’t top-flight prospects. And second-tier players from around the globe can make more money elsewhere if they fail to secure a guaranteed contract in the […]

We have officially entered June. In 2023-24, that means all but two NBA teams have turned their attention to the NBA Draft. The draft is an opportunity for teams to upgrade rosters. And for the New York Knicks, it’s specifically an opportunity to fill some gaps needed to put together a championship roster. There aren’t […]

The New York Knicks 2023-24 season marked another year of progress. They built on their accomplishments from 2022-23 by one-upping their win total and securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. But the Knicks still came up short. Sure, fans can rationalize the team’s failures by leaning on injuries, which is a fair […]

The New York Knicks are in unfamiliar territory. They are coming off of a fairly successful season. But New York can’t be satisfied with consecutive playoff eliminations. Sure, the Eastern Conference Semifinals are great, but it’s been 51 years (and counting) since the Knicks won a championship. They are beyond overdue, but they are closer […]

The New York Knicks just completed a Cinderella season, sort of. They dealt with a number of injuries before succumbing to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. But with Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic out for the entire second-round, as well as OG Anunoby missing most of it, options were […]

The New York Knicks significantly improved in the 2023-24 season. Sure, they technically only won three more games than they did in 2022-23. But last year’s playoff experience was clearly beneficial. Unfortunately, injuries robbed the Knicks of any opportunity at a deeper playoff run, and New York’s season fizzled out in the second round, again. […]

The New York Knicks’ meteoric rise was completed through an organic rebuild. It took four or five years, and it involved a new head coach and team president. It also involved draft picks, trades, and free-agent signings. While trades are more likely to impact the Knicks’ trajectory than signing other teams’ free agents this off-season, […]

The New York Knicks already look like a major problem for the entire NBA next season and beyond. They are close to competing for their first NBA Championship in more than 30 years, but close doesn’t cut it. There were two important things missing from the Knicks’ roster in 2023-24: Health, because this season’s team […]

It felt like the New York Knicks were shortchanged by fate itself in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. They suffered a series of injuries that impacted (if not led to) their elimination at the hands of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. While New York should be far healthier entering next season than they’ve […]

The New York Knicks’ 2023-24 came to an end on Sunday when they lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals 130-109 to the Indiana Pacers. They technically lost more than just the series, as they suffered another major injury, as well. Either way, New York’s season is over. And before we look ahead, let’s […]

“Game 7 in New York City. What’s better than that?” That rhetorical question posed by Miles McBride in the Indiana Pacers’ visiting locker room following the New York Knicks 116-103 loss summed up the attitude with which New York must approach Game 7. Embrace the moment. Revel in the love from the home court. Set […]

One more win. That’s all the New York Knicks need to advance to the first Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. It appeared as if the team’s momentum was lost after dropping two straight games to the Indiana Pacers while on the road, which knotted the series at two games apiece. But […]

The New York Knicks are in desperate need of home cooking. After opening the series with two consecutive wins, the Knicks now find themselves knotted up with the Indiana Pacers at two games a piece. Things went horribly wrong in Indiana, especially in Game 4. But thankfully, the Knicks return to New York for Game […]

As if the New York Knicks weren’t dealing with enough injuries, they suffered a few more in Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers. First, it was their best player, Jalen Brunson, who went down with a right foot injury midway through the first quarter. Then, after Brunson returned to start the second half, OG Anunoby […]

The New York Knicks were recently dealt another blow when they learned that they must proceed in the playoffs without Mitchell Robinson thanks to a stress injury in his left ankle. The Knicks must now forge ahead without three rotation pieces, one of whom (Robinson) happens to be their best offensive rebounder. This injury hurts […]

The New York Knicks’ second-round series against the Indiana Pacers will inevitably look a lot different than their first-round matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers are big and physical and while Tyrese Maxey is a blur with the ball in his hands, they are generally not an overly fast team, at least in terms […]

Let’s be honest for a moment (this shouldn’t be perceived as an overly bold prediction). The New York Knicks should get through the Indiana Pacers with ease compared to what they just went through against the Philadelphia 76ers in their first-round playoff series. The Knicks won 50 games in the regular season and secured the […]

The New York Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals after an emotional win in Game 6 of their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers And yet, some members of the media, as well as some Knicks’ fans, continue to focus on all the wrong things. Case in point, Stephen A. Smith recently introduced the idea […]

Well, the New York Knicks definitely played with their food in Game 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers, and it absolutely cost them. Even with extenuating circumstances like Joel Embiid’s migraines, they still lost a game that could have sent them to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. And with the Indiana Pacers losing their Game 5 to […]

Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed an offensive rebound in the defining moments of game two that led to a go-ahead three-pointer, which ultimately won the game and put the New York Knicks up 2-0 on the Philadelphia 76ers. That is emblematic of a Knicks team that has excelled at rebounding all season long. And the advantage they […]

The New York Knicks snagged another victory from the Philadelphia 76ers, going up three games to one in their first-round series. The Knicks are now just one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. But securing a victory in game four was far from easy, and it required a lot from a team […]

Joel Embiid is undoubtedly a great — and possibly dirty — player. But regardless of what you think of Embiid and his play thus far, the Philadelphia 76ers find themselves in a 1-2 hole against the New York Knicks. And the Knicks’ winning the minutes in which Embiid is not on the floor is a major […]

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson shot only 8-for-29 in Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, which came on the heels of an 8-for-26 showing in Game 1. But just like Game 1, the Knicks still managed to go up 2-0 behind another great game from their role players. It’s important to […]

It’s hard to say that a higher-seed “stole” a game, but that’s what it felt like on Saturday night in New York. In a game in which the New York Knicks’ best player, Jalen Brunson, accumulated five turnovers and made only 17% of his three-point attempts, the Knicks’ role players carried them to a major […]

The New York Knicks won 50 games and are officially the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Sadly, there’s no time to celebrate. They open the playoffs on Saturday at home against the Philadelphia 76ers — one of the most talented sefven-seeds in recent memory. And while New York has its own philosophy and X-factors to […]

The New York Knicks are in a precarious position. They won 50 games and secured the second-seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. But there is also an on-going debate about their chances of advancing beyond the first-round, which is unusual for a second-seed.  Still the Knicks know better than anyone what they are capable of, […]

The New York Knicks enter the 2024 NBA Playoffs playing incredibly good basketball. OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson are both (fully) back from injuries, respectively — something that fans clamored for immediately after New York’s trade with Toronto in late December. They’ve already contributed to a significantly above-average team defense. Their leader, Jalen Brunson, is […]

The New York Knicks just had their best season since 2012. They won 50 games and secured the Eastern Conference’s second seed. Their best player, Jalen Brunson, will probably qualify for an All-NBA team, and a number of their role players far exceeded expectations this season, too. But New York is facing some criticism for […]

The New York Knicks are obviously a routine-oriented bunch. That much was made clear by how well they persevered through major injuries this season, which included losing Mitchell Robinson for 50 games, OG Anunoby for 27 (out of 30) games, and Julius Randle remaining out since January 29th. But other guys have stepped up — […]

In case you didn’t know, the New York Knicks think they’re as good as anyone in the NBA. This was made clear in Thursday’s 118-109 victory against the Boston Celtics. The Knicks defeated the Celtics behind strong performances from Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Bojan Bogdanovic — who we suggested should join the starting lineup […]

The New York Knicks’ fortunes have swayed in the wind over the last week or so. They’ve wrapped their heads around the idea that All-Star Julius Randle will not return this season, and they’ve successfully worked OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson back into the rotation. They lost an easy game last week against the Chicago […]

Before the Summer of 2010, the New York Knicks (and numerous other teams) maneuvered around the salary cap in hopes of signing then-unrestricted free agent LeBron James to a long-term deal. James ultimately signed with the Miami Heat, leaving the remaining clubs to reconstruct their respective rosters on the fly. Now, given the recent announcement […]

The New York Knicks’ 2023-24 season took an abrupt turn on Thursday morning, when it was formally announced that All-Star forward Julius Randle would undergo season-ending surgery on his dislocated shoulder. Now a Knicks team that had aspirations of competing for a championship this season — as recently as late January — must figure out […]

The New York Knicks enter play on Tuesday with a 44-30 record. With only eight games remaining, New York is clinging to a half-game lead for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and they are still dealing with the injury bug. While securing the fourth seed or jumping to the third seed is obviously […]

The New York Knicks entered Easter Sunday with a 44-29 record, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They have two weeks and nine games remaining, and currently possess the fourth-hardest remaining schedule. Still, it looks all but certain that the Knicks will qualify for the 2024 NBA Playoffs in the top six of […]

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is finally back from an ankle injury that cost him more than three months. While there wasn’t much time to digest the news that Robinson would return, he looked pretty good—and not at all rusty—in his first game back. Robinson and the Knicks steamrolled another sub-par opponent on Tuesday […]

The New York Knicks are a good basketball team, and good basketball teams beat bad basketball teams. After taking care of business on Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets, New York continued its winning ways against lesser opponents on Monday night, beating the Detroit Pistons 124-99 behind Donte DiVincenzo’s franchise record 11 three-pointers. And that kind […]

Jalen Brunson is undoubtedly the New York Knicks’ most impactful player. Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson are probably their next most important players. And while Brunson continues to aggressively impact winning night in and night out, the other three have made a combined three appearances in New York’s last 24 games. Still, the […]

The New York Knicks have played exceptional basketball for most of 2024. They have been selfless and team-oriented, all they have played some of the best defense in the NBA since acquiring OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors in late December. Still, the playoffs are an entirely different beast. Most teams have preferences regarding who […]