If there's anyone who knows what it takes to succeed under the bright lights of New York, it's former New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Van Gundy memorably coached the Knicks into an improbable run to the NBA Finals during the lockout-shortened season of 1999, where they promptly lost to the burgeoning San Antonio Spurs in five. Thus, Van Gundy has an air of credibility when it comes to assessing where the current Knicks roster stands with regards to playoff contention.
Knicks fans and coach Tom Thibodeau, who worked with Van Gundy in the Knicks and Houston Rockets coaching staffs, may not like what they hear from Van Gundy, however.
In an interview with the New York Post, Van Gundy declared that the current roster, led by Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and new addition Jalen Brunson, is not even close to being a lock for the play-in, much less a serious title contender.
“The Knicks have good players, but you line it up against the competition in the East, and this roster is not on the same level,’’ Van Gundy said. “They could shock the world and be a playoff team, but I look at the East and I’d have to say eight to 13 is where they should be predicted. They’re not even close to a lock for the play-in. A lot has to go right.’’
The worthwhile addition of playoff breakout star Brunson will help ease the burden on the shoulders of Randle and the newly-extended Barrett, but Van Gundy argues that the Knicks need a proper “star to build around”.
”if you’re going to make a significant jump in the Eastern Conference — when you have [Boston’s Jayson] Tatum, [Jaylen] Brown, [Brooklyn’s Kevin] Durant, [Milwaukee’s Giannis] Antetokounmpo , [Miami’s Jimmy] Butler, and [James] Harden and [Joel] Embiid in Philly, you need a top-20 player in the league. That’s what you build around. They’re still searching for that.’’ Van Gundy added.
Nonetheless, Van Gundy argues that he is not being “negative” about the roster, and that it's not all doom and gloom despite the whiffed pursuit of the now-Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
If Randle returns to his 2020-21 form, Brunson continues to play the way he did in the 2022 playoffs, and Barrett emerges as the star the Knicks believe he's capable of becoming, then the Knicks could potentially make some noise in the postseason.
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