New York Knicks Should Be the Favorites to Win the NBA Finals (2024)

The New York Knicks exceeded expectations last season when they finished second in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 50-32. Going into the postseason, many expected that the Eastern Conference Finals would be a battle between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, the Knicks saw injury after injury during their postseason run and fell short of making the conference finals, after losing to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks are now looking to bounce back after a disappointing post-season. This team is without a doubt a threat in the east, and, as long as they stay healthy, absolutely have a chance to win an NBA championship. Here are five reasons the Knicks will have a shot at the title next year.

1 Addition of Mikal Bridges

Why adding Bridges to this Knicks core is the perfect fit

The New York Knicks started their offseason with a blockbuster trade that sent Bojan Bogdanovic , five first-round picks, and a second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges .

Bridges, who is one of the best defensive wings in the NBA, will be added to a Knicks team that is already one of the best teams in the league on that side of the floor. The Knicks were third in defensive rating last season ever since the acquisition of OG Anunoby and have a strong case to be the number one defensive team headed into next season. Bridges and Anunoby will create one of, if not the best defensive wing combos in the NBA. Both Anunoby and Bridges may be the two most equipped players in the league to guard Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum , which is exactly what the Knicks will need to do in order to pass the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.

In 2022, Bridges finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and made it to the All-Defensive First Team. Bridges wasn't only acquired due to his defense, as he is also an elite three-point shooter. He is the prototypical 3-and-D player, and while he has never been voted to an All-Star team, Bridges was the best get the Knicks could have realistically gotten this offseason.

Bridges was also the last missing piece from the Villanova championship teams in 2016 and 2018, joining Jalen Brunson , Donte DiVincenzo , and Josh Hart . All four of these players have undeniable chemistry from when they won at Villanova, and this will undoubtedly carry over when playing for the Knicks.

One of the most important factors with Bridges, especially with all the Knicks' health concerns last season, is that he has never missed a game in his entire career. Bridges has played in 474 consecutive games to start his career, which ranks 13th in NBA history. With how deep this Knicks roster is, if an injury-prone player like OG Anunoby misses time, Bridges will easily make up for what is lost from Anunoby.

2 Knicks Record When OG Anunoby Plays

Why the Knicks are practically unbeatable with Anunoby in the lineup

The Knicks traded for OG Anunoby midway through the 2023-2024 season, and the trade was immediately proven to be a huge win for New York. The Knicks record improved dramatically, as in the month of January the Knicks finished with a record of 14-2, which was the winningest month in franchise history. Unfortunately for the Knicks, injuries prevented the team from continuing their resounding success, as on January 27th, after a 125-109 victory over the Miami Heat , both OG Anunoby and Julius Randle went down with injuries. Miraculously, after these two went down and missed an extended amount of time, the Knicks were still able to remain competitive.

Anunoby returned to the lineup at the end of the season and the Knicks were able to continue their elite play, finishing with a record of 20-3 when OG was on the court, a win rate of 86%. Including the playoffs, the Knicks ended with a record of 26-6 with Anunoby, which was still a remarkable win rate of 81 percent.

It's no surprise that the Knicks are a better team when one of the best defenders in the NBA is on the court. The question remains, however, as to whether or not Anunoby can stay healthy for a long period of time. Anonoby will almost certainly play more than the 23 games he played for the Knicks last year. If Anunoby can play at least 60 games for the squad, and the team remains as elite as they were when he was on the court last season, then the Knicks will unquestionably be a dangerous threat come playoff time.

3 A Full Season of Julius Randle

Why the Knicks forgotten three-time All-Star will be the X-factor

It's no secret that Julius Randle hasn't had the perfect tenure with New York. He has had some rough playoff performances, and at times has lost his temper on the court. With that being said, when Randle is playing confidently, the Knicks are going to be nearly impossible to defend.

While Randle has had two disappointing postseasons, fans should not give up on the possibility of him turning his play around. In the 2021 postseason, Randle had virtually no three-point shooters around him, which led to the Atlanta Hawks , at times, triple-teaming the All-Star. The Knicks starting lineup going into the playoffs that season was Elfird Payton, RJ Barrett , Reggie Bullock , Julius Randle, and Nerlens Noel . Three of those players are currently no longer in the NBA. The fact that this team was able to secure home-court advantage in the first round was nothing short of a miracle. Randle being unable to play up to par was almost an inevitability.

In the 2023 postseason, this team had greatly improved after the addition of Jalen Brunson. Unfortunately, Randle was dealing with a bad ankle all postseason, one he got surgery for as soon as the postseason ended. Whether these are excuses or genuine reasons as to why Randle hasn't played up to par in the playoffs remains to be seen, but with all the extra depth and shooters that New York now has, Randle won't need to do as much on the offensive end that he has needed to do in years past.

Due to these subpar playoff performances, many tend to underrate Randle. Randle is a three-time All-Star and has made it to an All-NBA second and third team in his Knicks tenure so far. He is also one of the better passing forwards in the league, which will be vital for this new-look Knicks team. Teams will have to think twice when doubling Randle because it will be easy for Randle to find an open shooter if the help comes.

Once the Knicks replaced R.J. Barrett with OG Anunoby in the starting lineup, the Knicks' play greatly improved. Randle and Barrett's playstyles complimented each other poorly, due to both players doing most of their damage in the paint, as well as both being sub-par three-point shooters. Adding Anunoby completely changed how Randle was playing, and it led to immediate success. When Brunson, Randle, and Anunoby played together the Knicks were 11-1. They also outscored their opponents by a total of 193 points in those 12 games, including a 128-92 victory over a healthy Philadelphia 76ers and a 122-84 victory over a healthy Denver Nuggets .

Randle may have his problems on the court, but there is a reason why he was the third-most double-teamed player in the league in 2023, behind only Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo . If teams are too afraid to double Randle, he will dominate in the post, and if not, he will have many different elite three-point shooters to pass to.

4 Elite Offensive Rebounding

Why the Knicks' gaining extra possessions will win them games

One of the Knicks' biggest recipes for success last season was their elite offensive rebounding. The Knicks finished the year 20th in field goal percentage, yet still managed to finish 7th in the league in offensive rating. The reason for this big gap is the amount of offensive rebounds the Knicks were able to pull down.

The Knicks ended up finishing first in the league in offensive rebounds last season, in large part due to Mitchell Robinson , Isaiah Hartenstein , and Josh Hart. While the Knicks did end up losing Hartenstein in free agency, which will no doubt be a tough blow, the most elite offensive rebounder on the Knicks roster is Mitchell Robinson. Robinson averaged 4.6 offensive rebounds a game, tied for first in the NBA with Clint Capela .

Robinson was having a historic start to the season in terms of his elite offensive rebounding, where he was out-rebounding entire teams. Injuries eventually slowed him down, but, when healthy, Robinson is one of the best, if not the best offensive rebounder in the league.

Josh Hart was also one of the better offensive rebounders in the league, especially come the postseason. Hart finished tied for seventh in total offensive rebounds in the playoffs, even though the Knicks got eliminated in the 2nd round. Hart also ended up finishing fifth in total rebounds. Having an elite rebounder at a player of Hart's height is going to allow the Knicks to play more small ball, which could certainly help when defending the many three-point shooters the Boston Celtics have.

5 Bench Depth

Why the Knicks have the best 8-man rotation in the NBA

The Knicks starting lineup when entering the playoffs last season consisted of Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Isaiah Hartenstein. The three players who were consistently the most important throughout the entire playoff run were Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo. Now, two of those players, DiVincenzo and Hart, are going to be coming off the bench next season for New York.

Both DiVincenzo and Hart are starter-quality players on most other teams, but since the Knicks' roster is so deep, they will be coming off the bench. DiVincenzo had nine different games, including the playoffs, where he scored 30 points or more, and Josh Hart had six games this season where he recorded a triple-double. Having these options off the bench is enormous for the Knicks and something few other teams have.

The Knicks will also have Deuce McBride coming off the bench. McBride averaged 13 points per game in the last two months of the regular season and is also one of the better perimeter defenders in the league.

The one thing still missing from this roster is a backup center. If the Knicks are able to re-sign Precious Achiuwa , their roster will be complete and, due to all of these factors, will surely have as good of a chance as any to dethrone the Boston Celtics and win the 2025 NBA championship.