Reggie Miller's Advice For Modern New York Knicks

Once known as public enemy number one among New York Knicks fans, Reggie Miller is bullish on his former foes' chances in 2023-24.

The New York Knicks received some accolades and counsel from an unlikely source on Tuesday.

Former Knicks rival Reggie Miller has advice for his former adversaries as they seek to build upon their most successful season in a decade. Best known for his postseason battles with the Knicks, the current TNT analyst says that the team can be one of the most dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference so long as they believe in themselves.

“The Knicks have to say, ‘We’ve got to be the third-best team,’” Miller said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “That’s no slight to Miami who was in the NBA Finals, and the Cavaliers, who the Knicks beat in the first round a year ago. We’ve got to say, we’re scratching on the door.”

Former Knicks enemy Reggie Miller has high hopes for the modern New Yorkers entering the 2023-24 season  / USA TODAY SPORTS

This offseason's developments have turned the East into a two-team race in the eyes of many observers, as the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks are seen as the frontrunners to win the conference. 

The Celtics, for example, replaced longtime Bostonian Marcus Smart with 2023 All-Star Jrue Holiday, who should pick up where Smart left off in terms of perimeter defense. Milwaukee, on the other hand, lost Holiday but picked up one of the most dominant players of this generation in Damian Lillard. 

As a result, the East has gotten a whole lot scarier this upcoming season. The Knicks will have to do what they can to stack up against these newly-formed superteams, and not only make another playoff run but advance beyond the six-game semifinal set they endured against the eventual finalist Miami Heat.

Miller is further enthused by the fact that the Knicks brought back almost the entirely same lineup they had last season. 

“I know what Jalen Brunson is going to give me on a night-in, night-out basis,” Miller said. “The growth of (RJ) Barrett and (Julius) Randle, who is a former All-Star and a straight-up double-double machine, you stand pat and you’ve got a defensive-minded coach in (Tom Thibodeau) (and) a full training camp with Josh Hart.

“They’ve got to be saying to themselves, ‘Why not us?’”

The Knicks will have an immediate chance to show that they can hang with the heavy hitters of the Eastern Conference when they open their season against the Celtics on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). They carried themselves well against last season's top seeds, going 9-6 against the top four teams (Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland) and beating the fourth-ranked Cavs in last postseason's opening round.