The New York Knicks are back in the top echelon of the Eastern Conference after a bumpy early part of the season as they integrated new trade additions Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. After realizing Towns is the best player on the team, the Knicks promptly started winning games, although they still need to fill roster gaps to become true title contenders. Meanwhile, Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson, in his podcast with teammate Josh Hart, had some stuff to say about his haters, particularly those who hate on his show.
“It definitely gets criticized a lot,” he said, in a conversation with comedian Hasan Minhaj, on his podcast. “If I listened to every opinion someone had about what I did or what I do, I would not be in the NBA.”
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Are the Knicks a title contender?
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots the ball as Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden.
© Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Offensively, the Knicks are humming, playing an inside-out game with KAT, who's averaging 25.2 points and 13.2 rebounds this season, while his backcourt partner Jalen Brunson averages 25.4 points and 7.7 assists.
However, as they say, defense wins championships, and this team might not have enough personnel on that side of the ball, at least until Mitchell Robinson returns from injury.
Losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency also dealt a major blow to their depth in the frontcourt, though Precious Achiuwa might help in the rebounding and interior defense department.
This need is most likely why the Knicks remain active buyers on the trade market despite already giving top dollar to KAT and Bridges. For instance, New York wants to deal for Steven Adams, veteran big man for the Houston Rockets, according to a report from Jed Katz for Sports Illustrated.
Besides Adams, the Knicks could also deal for the Jazz's Walker Kessler and the Wizards' Jonas Valanciunas, though several other teams–including the Lakers–could offer better packages for either players, or both.
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Meanwhile, they don't have as many defensive issues on the perimeter, as Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are excellent wing defenders who can execute a switch-heavy defense thanks to their physicality and length.
Josh Hart is also a Swiss Army knife on offense and defense, a high-energy utility guy who does everything on the court for the Knicks, a perfect fit for a superstar tandem of Jalen Brunson and KAT.
It also helps that Bridges doesn't miss games, despite playing heavy minutes under Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
Should the Knicks stabilize their frontcourt with size and athleticism, they could become one of the teams to bet on coming out of the East. That is, unless, they face the Celtics in the Conference Finals.