Knicks in Top 10 in Post-Finals Power Rankings
The New York Knicks and the rest of the league is officially in the offseason after the end of the NBA Finals.
The Boston Celtics beat out the Dallas Mavericks in five games to win their 18th title in franchise history, the most for any team in the league. But now, focus shifts to the next season where the Knicks and the other 29 teams are in contention for the next ring.
Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey curated a "way-too-soon" NBA power rankings following the end of the Finals and put the Knicks at No. 7 on his list.
"With [Brunson], [OG] Anunoby, the other Villanova Knicks (Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo) and Mitchell Robinson all under contract and Julius Randle presumably healthy heading into 2024-25, New York is in good shape," Bailey writes.
The only teams that ranked ahead of the Knicks were the Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics.
The Knicks will have a chance to climb up the ladder this offseason with a strong free agency. That would constitute re-signing OG Anunoby, who was a huge midseason trade acquisition for the Knicks.
"Including the playoffs, OG Anunoby had 28 games with a positive plus-minus of at least one after being traded to the New York Knicks and only four without one," Bailey writes. "Plugging his multipositional defense and floor-spacing ability into the rotation worked like a charm for the Knicks. If they're able to re-sign him this offseason, they should have a shot at making another deep playoff run."
Anunoby should be one of the league's biggest free agents, so the Knicks will have competition for his services. However, it seems as if Anunoby wants to return to the Knicks and try his shot to get a ring with the team while he nurses himself back to a clean bill of health.
The Knicks also will look to re-sign starting center Isaiah Hartenstein, who played a massive role for the team this past season. If Hartenstein and Anunoby re-sign, it would allow the Knicks to keep their chemistry rolling and would put them towards the top of the threat list in the Eastern Conference for the 2024-25 title.
JEREMY BRENER
Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.