There isn’t a team in the NBA that has faced as difficult of a schedule as the New York Knicks to this point. They have caught zero breaks from the schedule makers thus far in the 2023-24 regular season and their success in the NBA In-Season Tournament did them no favors.
As a result of earning one of the wild card spots, the Knicks had to travel to the Milwaukee Bucks for a third time, giving them five matchups against the Eastern Conference powerhouse this season. For losing that game, they had to add a third trip, and fifth overall, against the Boston Celtics.
Before a scheduling change by the league, the Knicks were left with a further unbalanced schedule having to play 42 road games. That has since been amended, but having 10 out of your 82 regular season games against the teams with the No. 1 and No. 3 overall records in the league isn’t ideal.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: OG Anunoby, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Updates
Despite those challenges, the Knicks find themselves at 19-15 on the season. They are currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference but are only one game behind the fourth-place Miami Heat.
One good run from the team and they could find themselves comfortably outside of the NBA Play-In Tournament and in the postseason field. Luckily for the Knicks, they are entering a portion of their schedule that could enable them to do that.
“The Knicks have the league’s second-biggest differential between their record vs. the 14 teams that are currently at or below .500 (12-1) and their record vs. the 16 teams that are currently above .500 (5-14). They play the Wolves and Sixers this week, but only six of their 16 January games are against that latter group. RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley make their return to Madison Square Garden with the Raptors on Jan. 20,” wrote John Schuhumann of NBA.com.
New York is 26th in cumulative opponent’s winning percentage in the month of January. There will be opportunities for the team to string together wins and start climbing the standings.
The Knicks already defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-106 in the first game since their blockbuster trade with the Toronto Raptors. OG Anunoby, the prize in the return package, has lived up to the billing thus far, helping the Knicks go 2-0 in his first two appearances.
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A game against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight is another measuring stick moment for New York. They have looked like a totally different team since the trade, with the positives outweighing the negatives.
There are a few issues, such as frontcourt depth and the need for another shot-creator to replace Immanuel Quickley. But Anunoby has helped elevate the starting five to another level, which has compensated for their flaws in the second unit.
But, the Knicks will have a few soft spots in their schedule to continue working on things and improve. With only three back-to-backs, they will be afforded practice time to continue acclimating the new players and build up chemistry and cohesion.
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