The New York Knicks have officially entered a championship window. After making the playoffs four of the last five seasons, and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the team is ready to gun for a title in the near future.
Many pundits and analysts agree on that sentiment. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton recently named the Knicks as a team with “an extended championship window,” along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and last season’s champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“The Knicks locked in Mikal Bridges on a four-year, $150 million extension last month after getting Jalen Brunson inked to his own long-term deal last season,” they wrote. “New York now has five players --Bridges, Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart -- under contract through at least 2028. That's the vision the franchise had for this group over the past 18 months to, in theory, give the team a long runway.”
As mentioned by Bontemps and Pelton, the Knicks have their core for the next several seasons. A well-rounded blend of offensive, defense, and hustle gives the team plenty of versatility necessary to make another deep playoff run. They have the star power of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, and the dynamic two-way play brought on by Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby.
Next season will be very telling for the Knicks. Equipped with a new head coach, and a deeper bench than last season, expectations will be sky high until — or if — the Knicks win their first championship since 1973.