What Can Make the Knicks Real Contenders

New York is in a tough position, with Tom Thibodeau’s group in need of something to catapult it to the next level, but facing a trade market with limited options.

Tom Thibodeau wasn’t feeling the question. Though, when it comes to the Knicks, it is the question. With more than a quarter of the season gone, a 15–11 record after Monday’s 114–109 win over the Lakers, a familiar spot in the middle of the conference playoff bracket. It’s reasonable to wonder.

Do the Knicks have enough?

“I always think we can do better,” Thibodeau says. “And I always think we have more than enough.”

Fine. First, let’s acknowledge that the Knicks are a fully functional franchise. Leon Rose has cleaned up the books, Thibodeau has (mostly) straightened out the roster and Jalen Brunson is the clutch performer fans have been clamoring for. They have an All-Star in Brunson, a fringy one in Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, a semireliable 18–20 point per game scorer. Immanuel Quickley, Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein are part of a rotation that can legitimately go 10 deep.

Brunson is averaging 25.6 points and 5.8 assists for the Knicks this season :: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

There’s been a few blunders, like surrendering a first-round pick for Cam Reddish. Reddish, now with the Lakers, told Knicks reporters before the game, “I got nothing for you. My time in New York is over.” And Thibodeau would certainly like to wipe a forgettable ’21–22 season from the books. But a team that spent most of the last two decades as a pundit piñata has regained respectability.

Still—is it enough? This recent road trip offered arguments both ways. The Knicks lost in Utah. They were blown out by the Clippers. They beat the Suns behind a brilliant 50-point performance from Brunson. They won a back-and-forth battle with the Lakers, but not before giving L.A. a bazillion chances down the stretch. They have a good offense (eighth in efficiency) and a mediocre defense (19th). If the playoffs started today the Knicks would be in the 4–5 matchup for the second year in a row.

Recently, the national punditry has urged the Knicks to make a trade. Any trade. TNT’s Kenny Smith said without a deal, “The Knicks are gonna stay in the middle.” Charles Barkley said New York doesn’t “have a margin for error.” On ESPN, talking heads campaign for different deals every hour. New York fans hate that. For years they watched lousy GMs trade them into irrelevancy. Isiah Thomas’s celebrated swap for Stephon Marbury. Glen Grunwald’s ill-fated acquisition of Andrea Bargnani. Phil Jackson trading for Derrick Rose. Whenever the Knicks made a trade that was supposed to make them better, the result was them getting measurably worse.

Still, this team clearly has a ceiling. They can win a first-round series against Orlando. But in a second-round series against Boston—a team that has already beaten the Knicks three times this season—they are basketball chum. They don’t have the wing defenders to match up with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and in the three games they have played Kristaps Porziņģis is shooting 52.4% from three. Randle is in the middle of an outstanding stretch, but his last two postseasons have been shooting disasters.

That’s a six-game series. Tops.

So what’s Rose to do? The Knicks have assets. They have all of their own first-round picks and four additional firsts—with various protections—through 2026. They have young talent and movable contracts. A couple of weeks back The Athletic reported the Knicks were searching for a star they could go all-in for.

O.K., great.

Who?

The Knicks have a wish list. The problem is no one on it is available. Giannis Antetokounmpo recently signed a long-term extension. Based on the Sixers’ start—and the recent long-term extension of Daryl Morey—Joel Embiid feels likely to do the same. Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t on the market as long as Minnesota is atop the Western Conference. Donovan Mitchell could become available, but there may be fit issues alongside Brunson. The Knicks could make a run at Zach LaVine, but acquiring a Bulls player with a hefty contract and a history of knee problems feels like a mistake they have made before.

On Tuesday, I asked Thibodeau how the Knicks have matched up to his expectations. He cited injuries, specifically to Mitchell Robinson, the springy, shot-blocking center who will miss at least the next two months following ankle surgery. He pointed to a road-heavy schedule—the Knicks have played 16 games away from New York, most among playoff teams in either conference—to start the season.

“We started slowly offensively,” says Thibodeau. “Now we’re clicking pretty well. It’s a long season. You just got to keep working.”

They will. The Knicks will be good. They are good. They won 47 games last season and are on pace to hit around that same number in this one. They are a solid playoff team. Just perhaps not much more.