It has been years since New York Knicks fans had something to be excited about. From fans wearing brown paper bags over their heads at games to those crying in the stands at the NBA Draft, the Knicks' faithful have been through it over the last decade.
Times are finally changing in New York, though, especially with the franchise making it to and winning in the playoffs during the 2022-23 season. Last year was a huge success for the Knicks and now, expectations entering the 2023-24 season are sky-high.
Despite picking up their first playoff series victory since 2013, the Knicks are quietly being mentioned as a dark-horse contender in the Eastern Conference. Will they ultimately have what it takes to defeat juggernaut teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics?
It seems like the Knicks have always been linked to star players. It's New York City, so it is obvious why expectations to land such big names is vital. However, this team has not really been in the hunt for star players in free agency. Instead of pulling the trigger on a deal for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell last offseason, the Knicks instead went out and got Jalen Brunson, a move that had paid off tenfold.
Brunson proved to be everything this organization had been lacking in their backcourt and it is not hard to say he had a better year than some players who ended up making the All-Star Game last season. New York still needed a little bit of talent before the playoffs, so they traded for Josh Hart, a “do-it-all” type of player who was a former teammate of Brunson's in college at Villanova.
This offseason, this same trend of adding versatile talent continued and it's pretty clear that New York has a thing for reuniting old teammates. Not only were Brunson and Hart paired up with one another last season, but the Knicks signed Donte DiVincenzo in free agency. Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo all played together and won a national championship at Villanova and the team also has Ryan Arcidicono on their roster, another champion from Villanova.
Comradery and effort are the two main things Tom Thibodeau and his staff will receive from these former Wildcats, which is why the Knicks have a really good thing going for them right now. All-Star Julius Randle remains on this roster, as does former third overall pick RJ Barrett, which is why New York is primed to be even better this upcoming season.
Knicks offseason additions and departures
Additions: G Donte DiVincenzo (free agency – GSW)
Departures: G Derrick Rose (free agency – MEM)
This ended up being an extremely smooth offseason for the Knicks. They did not have any draft picks, so nothing happened with them on draft night, and they really did not have any cap space to utilize with Brunson, Randle, Barrett, and big man Mitchell Robinson all being under contract.
The Knicks had access to their non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $12.4 million, which was utilized to poach DiVincenzo from the Golden State Warriors. As the offseason began, it looked more and more unlikely that the former first-round pick would be returning to Golden State, especially since he proved to be an impactful two-way talent following a foot injury suffered in 2021.
DiVincenzo opted out of his $4.7 million player option for the 2023-24 season and he decided to join the Knicks on a four-year, $50 million contract amid league-wide interest in him.
“First and foremost, I am two hours away from my family and family is everything to me,” DiVincenzo explained during Media Day on Monday. “Adding onto that, you know, Nova [Villanova] guys are an extension of my family, Jalen especially. But ultimately, I like to win basketball games and looking at the layout of where I was potentially going to land, I felt the most comfortable coming here.”
While his overall role in either the starting lineup or coming off the bench is unknown, DiVincenzo is going to be a player that makes an impact in New York. He's proven to be a skilled three-point specialist and the 26-year-old is a much better on-ball defender than people give him credit for.
Like Hart, DiVincenzo is also a really strong secondary rebounder, which should immediately aid the team, one that ranked third in rebounding a season ago.
As much as he is going to make an impact on the court, DiVincenzo's presence in the locker room alongside Brunson and Hart also means a lot to the Knicks. Talent obviously aids an organization's championship journey, but every team that has won a title through the years were built from within. Having strong relationships in the locker room and building a family-like atmosphere and culture is vital to the success of any franchise in the NBA.
Everywhere he has been in his basketball career, DiVincenzo has found success, which is why he could wind up being one of the most impactful offseason additions throughout the league.
With New York adding another former Villanova Wildcat, to their backcourt, this left Derrick Rose with a decision to make. After the team declined his $15.6 million option, Rose decided to join the Memphis Grizzlies in free agency.
Spending the last two-and-a-half seasons as a member of the Knicks, Rose averaged 11.2 points and 3.4 assists per game in this span with New York.
DiVincenzo coming in and Rose departing were the only two changes this Knicks roster saw during the offseason even though veteran three-point specialist Evan Fournier was a key topic of trade rumors for the organization. Fournier, who had fallen out of the rotation during the 2022-23 season, was looking for a change of scenery and the Knicks had discussed some scenarios with rival teams during the offseason.
Ultimately, no deal was ever reached, which is why the 30-year-old wing remains on their roster entering the preseason. It is likely to believe that the team will explore all of its options as the new season approaches, possibly moving Fournier in the coming months.
Breaking down New York's depth
Aside from the fact that they are a strong defensive team and were one of the best rebounding groups from a season ago, the Knicks enter the 2023-24 season as a real threat in the Eastern Conference because of their depth. Unlike other teams that have multiple star players who always seem to have the ball in their hands down the stretch, making them somewhat predictable, New York has a handful of options they can run with.
Brunson and Randle are obviously the two main focal points for this team offensively, but Barrett is more than capable of taking over. The same can be said for the abundance of perimeter shooting the Knicks now have.
Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley and Hart all shot 37 percent or better from three-point range during the 2022-23 season and DiVincenzo shot 39.7 percent from deep in a Warriors uniform. These four players alone can open up the court a lot for the Knicks' offense, allowing Brunson, Randle, and Barrett to attack their one-on-one matchups. A team that ranked 19th in the league in three-point shooting percentage a season ago, the Knicks will absolutely be one of the better perimeter-focused teams this year.
You have to have a bench unit that can sustain success over the course of an 82-game season in order to be a real playoff threat. Looking at the last three championship teams, the Bucks, Warriors, and Denver Nuggets all have reliable players they could turn to on their bench.
This Knicks' roster has at least seven players who could start for other teams and their rotation has a chance to be 10 or 11 players deep. Should they move on from Fournier at any point in the season, this overall depth will only expand.
Quickley was a real Sixth Man of the Year candidate a season ago, which is why he will once again serve a huge role on offense for the Knicks. It is also worth mentioning that he is entering the final year of his contract, so the former first-round pick will be playing with a chip on his shoulder.
All the depth that the Knicks have right now has led to some questions about what their starting lineup with ultimately look like. With Brunson, Randle, and Robinson all locked into their spots in the starting rotation, New York still needs to figure out who their opening night shooting guard and small forward will be.
One of these spots will likely go to Barrett, but Grimes, DiVincenzo, and Hart are all viable options to start. It is not hard to believe that even when Thibodeau finalized his rotations, he could change the team's starters throughout the course of the regular season based on matchups.
Hart really impressed in his short stint with the Knicks last season and he continued to grow as a player this offseason with Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. A two-way presence on the wing who can guard any position and rebound as well as any other swingman in the league, Hart is one of the most impactful secondary talents in the NBA right now.
Regarding who would potentially start in a few weeks when the season begins, Thibodeau told reporters during Media Day that while a final decision has yet to be made, he would be foolish to change what worked a season ago.
“When you look at last season and you look at what that group did from December 4th-on, they were 37-22. And so you go in with the idea of that's where we are going to start,” the head coach stated. “Now, of course you haven't played in any games and nothing has unfolded yet. You base your decisions on the information that you have and that's the information that we have. We are going to go from there.”
Based on what Thibs is saying, it appears as if the Knicks will begin the new year with the same starting group they ended the regular season with: Brunson, Grimes, Barrett, Randle, and Robinson.
Should this be the case, they would have Quickley, Hart, and DiVincenzo as viable starting options coming off their bench. Big man Isaiah Hartenstein is still with the team and figures to once again hold a key role as a rebounder and passer in the frontcourt behind Robinson. This is a really strong group for any team to have on their bench, proving that the Knicks have the depth they need to be competitive.
2023-24 season outlook
As crazy as it may sound, the Knicks are going to be a team that flirts with a 50-win season. Something that has only been done 13 times in franchise history, New York's path to 50 wins is not as crazy as it may sound.
Sure, the Eastern Conference is loaded with talent and there are a handful of young, emerging teams who can win on any given night, but the Knicks have a terrific blend of experience, youth, and athleticism on their roster. Everything for this group, though, ties back to what they can achieve on the defensive side of the floor.
Some of the best defensive teams through the years have finished with some of the best regular season records in the league. That is not a coincidence, which is why the Knicks could wind up following in these same footsteps.
What makes the Knicks so intriguing is their comradery and willingness to sacrifice. We should look no further than their three Villanova Wildcats, as Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo have all changed their style of play to fit what this team needs. We've yet to see DiVincenzo play with the Knicks, but there is no reason to believe that he won't be just as impactful as Hart was a season ago.
Between their depth and toughness both physically and mentally, the Knicks can absolutely make it back to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. At that point, the question will become whether or not they can keep up with the firepower of teams like the Celtics and Bucks on offense.
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