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Notable Additions: G/F Mikal Bridges, PG Cameron Payne, F Keita Bates-Diop, F Pacôme Dadiet, PG Tyler Kolek
Notable Losses: C Isaiah Hartenstein, F Bojan Bogdanović, G/F Alec Burks
Winning 50 games and finishing as the No. 2 seed in the East would seemingly be tough to improve on, although adding one of the best two-way wings in the NBA while re-signing OG Anunoby could have this Knicks team sniffing 60 wins this season.
New York went 26-6 in regular season and playoff games with Anunoby and the Knicks were even better when he was playing small forward (plus-25.3 net rating, per Cleaning the Glass) vs. when Anunoby was at power forward (plus-17.0). With a healthy Julius Randle back, Anunoby should see more time on the wing, giving the Knicks’ starting lineup more size and length overall.
At 6’6″ with a 7’1″ wingspan, Mikal Bridges is a big shooting guard who made 38.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes last season and should get far more open looks playing alongside Jalen Brunson, Randle and others. Bridges and Anunoby are the perfect counter to the Boston Celtics’ wing of Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown, as the Knicks front office has designed this team to dethrone the reigning champs.
Outside of the center position, this roster has real depth, especially since Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo will likely be coming off the bench in favor of Randle and Bridges. Rookie Tyler Kolek is 23 and could be ready to step into a rotation role soon, as both he and Cameron Payne will help to keep Brunson’s minutes at a reasonable level before the playoffs begin.
We saw glimpses of what this team could become, as the three-man unit of Brunson, Randle and Anunoby registered a net rating of plus-26.1 (100th percentile, via Cleaning the Glass) in their 582 possessions together.
Losing Isaiah Hartenstein hurts, although getting Bridges, re-signing Anunoby and adding some nice pieces around the edges will have the Knicks competing for the No. 1 spot in the East.
