The New York Knicks are being touted as title contenders after the addition of Mikal Bridges during the offseason. They are looked upon as perhaps the favorites to take down the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics, in the Eastern Conference.
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On that note, former Boston Celtics forward, Brian Scalabrine, declared that the Celts aren’t exactly worried about the Knicks.
Brandon “Scoop D” Robinson asked Scalabrine during an interview if the Celtics are intimidated by the Knicks with Bridges joining their ranks. The Celtics analyst for NBCS admitted that the Knicks have become a terrific defensive team after the arrival of the two-way Wing.
He noted that last season, OG Anunoby’s trade to the Knicks in February already brought tremendous defensive potential to the team. The addition of Bridges will make them even better next season.
Therefore, Scalabrine considers the Knicks a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. However, he conveyed that the Celtics wouldn’t be frightened by the new-look of the Knicks. But they will certainly prepare accordingly.
He argued that no NBA player or team would openly admit that they are afraid of anyone in the league. Scal told Robinson,
“I think they [Knicks] are big-time team. Big-time defensive team. Since the OG Anunoby trade, his advance analytics were of the charts. I thought that was the only team that could play.”
“Never ever will you hear an NBA team, player, or anybody say that they are scared of anybody, right? But you have to keep an out on what the Knicks are doing.”
Boston Celtics aren’t scared of the Knicks after the Mikal Bridges trade but you gotta “prepare for that” says @Scalabrine to Scoop B Radio.
“Never ever will you ever hear an NBA team, player or anything say they’re scared of anybody but you have to keep an eye out on the… https://t.co/Abw6Rgw9P5 pic.twitter.com/3copyc9tim
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 24, 2024
Bridges does address major gaps for the Knicks. Last season, he put up 19.6 points per game and showed terrific talent as a shot-creator, something New York needed during the 2024 playoffs.
He also becomes a terrific injury cover as someone who has never missed a game in his NBA career with 474 consecutive appearances in the Regular Season.
It will be crucial considering how injury-riddled the Knicks are looking even before the season has started.
The Knicks’ stint with injuries
The Knicks received a big blow when their Center Mitchell Robinson was sidelined at least till December because of his recurring foot injury.
They lost their starting Center Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder during the offseason, and with Robinson out as well, they will be without a high-quality Center.
Last season, they were one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league. However, the absence of Robinson coupled with Hartenstein’s departure could massively curtail their rebounding potential, something that analyst Zach Lowe pointed out on ESPN’s NBA Today.
He said,
“We could look back in 6 months, and say Hartenstein changing teams was maybe the most impactful move of the offseason. The Knicks under [Tom Thibodeau] have been the best second-shot offensive team in the entire NBA.
“Robinson and Hartenstein were basically all of that… Their wings can crash, but you can’t build an offensive rebounding team based on that,” Lowe added.
The absence of Robinson may not be the end of the world for the squad. They can field an effective two-way small-ball squad with Julius Randle in the Center.
However, things will be rough against elite offensive Centers like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Domantas Sabonis. It will be interesting how Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau would strategize in such situations.
