Now and Later: ESPN Power Rankings Favor New York Knicks' Future

ESPN's Future Power Rankings claim that New York Knicks fans will have something to cheer about now and later.

As Jedi master Yoda, puppeteered and voiced by New York Knicks fan Frank Oz, once declared, always in motion, the future is.

A new NBA season is about to tip off, but that didn't stop those at ESPN from looking beyond next week's premiere games. The Worldwide Leader unveiled its annual "future power rankings" this week, one that determines how teams are set up for not only the upcoming campaign but the two after that as well.

Knicks fans of both the present and immediate future will have something to look forward to if ESPN's prophecies prove accurate: the Knicks were one of the biggest movers on the list, placing eighth this time around. That's nine spots ahead of their 17th-place posting from last year and just the second time they've ranked in the top 10 in the past decade of such lists from Bristol.

Julius Randle is one of the headliners of the Knicks' hopeful future / USA TODAY SPORTS

"As compared to their last top-10 appearance in May 2021, during another run to the conference semifinals, this entry feels more sustainable," ESPN's Kevin Pelton declared. "New York has collected future draft picks to add a disgruntled superstar via trade to a core built largely from within."

"That patient strategy along with Tom Thibodeau getting the most out of the roster lifted the Knicks' management score nine spots."

Fresh off their most lucrative season in a decade, the Knicks are mostly running things back to open the 2023-24 affair. But many expect the team to bring in a superstar sooner or later to complement the veteran core led by the RJ Barrett/Jalen Brunson/Julius Randle triumvirate. A well-stocked draft cabinet (placing the Knicks sixth in terms of managing such assets), the veteran nucleus they have as is (10th), and the leadership group headlined by Thibodeau and president Leon Rose (tied for ninth) all helped New York make its top 10 case.

No team in the Eastern Conference moved further than the Knicks' nine spots, a shift that was third-best behind third-place Oklahoma City (plus-20) and a tie between Sacramento (11th) and Utah (15th), who each moved up 15 slots.

The Boston Celtics led the way while the defending champion Denver Nuggets were the runners-up. Memphis and Golden State rounded out the top five.

New York's future begins on Wednesday when the Celtics come to visit MSG for the first of four meetings (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).