The New York Knicks own a 2-2 record heading into Thursday's game versus the Toronto Raptors, putting them in a position to do something they haven't done in nearly a decade. If the Knicks were to defeat the Raptors on Thursday, it'd become the first season they have a winning record to begin January since the 2012-2013 season, per Tommy Beer of Forbes.
If the Knicks win tonight, they will enter January with a winning record for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
Incredibly, New York has entered January with a losing record in 16 of the 19 seasons this century.
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) December 31, 2020
Back in the 2012-2013 season, the Knicks boasted an impressive 21-9 record heading into January. In that same season, New York would finish with a 54-28 record and would advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals where they would lose to the Indiana Pacers.
Additionally, in the 2012-2012 season, Carmelo Anthony led the NBA in scoring for the Knicks with 28.6 points per game. Besides Anthony, New York's roster was also constructed of guys like J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Amar'e Stoudamire, and Tyson Chandler.
Fast forward to now and there aren't lofty expectations placed on the current roster of the Knicks. However, the emergence of Julius Randle is something that has helped New York secure two wins to begin the season.
Randle is 12th in the NBA in scoring, averaging a career-best 24.8 points per game in the first four games of the season. Aside from Randle, the Knicks are relying on contributions from RJ Barrett, Elfrid Payton, Mitchell Robinson, and Reggie Bullock.
It should be noted that New York has an improved chance to have a winning record to begin January due to the late start to the season. With that being said, the Knicks will look to achieve something they've done just three times since 2000 when they face the Raptors on Thursday night.
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