The last time the New York Knicks had back-to-back 50+ win seasons was in 1994-95. Coming off a 57-win season and a trip to the Finals in ’94, the Knicks won 55 games in 1995. And they haven’t done it since. They’ve had some close calls. They won 48 games in 2000-01, after winning 50 the year prior. They won 47 games in the 2022-23 season before cracking the elusive 50-win mark last season.
The Knicks’ return to glory started with the Jalen Brunson signing in the summer of 2022. The term “franchise-altering” should not be used unless it’s necessary, but that’s exactly what the Brunson signing was for the Knicks. The Knicks’ all-time win-loss % is 0.487. In Brunson’s two seasons with the Knicks, his number stands at 0.591. Amongst all-time Knicks with at least 100 games, he’s already 21st on the list. Change the benchmark to 140 games, he’s now 14th.
So, can the Knicks, led by Brunson repeat at 50+ win seasons?
ESPN Predicts Knicks Consecutive 50+ Win Seasons After 30 Years
Keys to 50+ Win Season
The biggest concern for the Knicks is their health. Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby are consistent red flags and have a history of missing around 20 games every year. Both of them missed games in the playoffs due to injury and were unavailable for the final game of the Knicks season. Julius Randle is coming off a shoulder injury that required surgery. He missed the last four months of the NBA season and is just on track to start the season healthy. Josh Hart had an abdominal injury in Game 6, and despite his questionable status before Game 7, tried to play through it. Jalen Brunson broke his hand midway through Game 7 and required offseason surgery to repair it.
The Knicks’ health concerns far outweigh any other issue on their team. If Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle can all play 60-ish games, the Knicks will coast through the regular season. Ideally, that shouldn’t be too hard. These guys simply don’t miss time.
Is ESPN’s Prediction Too Low?
A battered and bruised Knicks team won 50 games last season. They did so despite Robinson missing 60 games, Randle missing 35 games, and Anunoby playing just 23 out of a possible 50 games. Even then, they underperformed according to their expected W-L of 53-29.
Is it too much to say that they could win close to 56+ games? Anunoby, Brunson, and Randle went 11-2 when they were all together. The Knicks were +208 when Brunson and Randle were on the court together. The Knicks were a 61-win team when Brunson was on the court, and that was despite the numerous injuries that players suffered. It’s not impossible to believe that they can be the best team in the East. Kristaps Porzingis is out till December, and the center is the Celtics’ weak position.
The Last Word on ESPN’s Knicks Prediction
ESPN has a legitimate belief that the Knicks can go far this season. They were awarded the third most votes for coming out of the East and were top five in championship votes. But despite all this belief, their prediction could be fairly conservative if everybody is healthy.
