Five things that are necessary for the Knicks to make a deep run

Unlike most 33-22 teams holding the fourth seed in their conference, the Knicks find themselves in a peculiar situation. One that is filled with hope, questions, and concerns. And because of that, the 27 games that they have remaining in the regular season will be crucial for how this season ultimately turns out. If things go bad, the 2023-24 campaign could end up being a sad, disappointing, and frustrating one, covered with the stench of “what ifs.” Conversely, if the next eight weeks go well, this could be the magical season that the Knicks and their fans have been waiting for for decades.

So what exactly needs to happen for the Knicks to make a deep run this year?

Health, health, and more health

It’s been very well documented just how hobbled this team has been. Over the last three weeks, we’ve seen them lose every starter to an injury at one point or another, and it’s led to them stumbling into the All-Star break with some subpar play. It’s not an excuse by any means because every team in the league deals with injuries, albeit to varying degrees, but it’s just the truth. And for the Knicks, health doesn’t just mean having their injured guys back. Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, and Isaiah Hartenstein all need to be 100%, or very close to it, and be in rhythm for this team to have any hopes of being a real contender. Health isn’t the only thing this team needs going forward, but it is the most important thing. If, and that’s a big if, they can somehow manage to get everyone back and playing the way they were before they got hurt, then the Knicks will be in business.

Donte DiVincenzo needs to stay hot

DiVincenzo won’t continue to average 26.5 PPG as he has over his last eight games for the remainder of the season. Shooting 39.6% from three on over 13 attempts per game like he has is hard to maintain, and his numbers will naturally take a hit once Anunoby and Randle return. That said, the Knicks will need him to stay aggressive until they get healthier, and even when they do, his ability to be a deadly high-volume three-point shooter will be a crucial weapon in the playoffs when teams will load up on and trap Jalen Brunson.

Josh Hart needs to return to form

Hart and his play have been a topic of discussion for much of the season and rightfully so. His offensive stats (7.8 PPG while shooting 42.3% from the field and 30.6% from three) are all down and the eye test doesn’t help much either. But somehow, he’s remained one of the more important players on the Knicks as he tends to show up on a lot of the Knicks’ best lineups numbers-wise. And because of that, Tom Thibodeau has played him pretty big minutes, especially since the injuries. Assuming he continues to get the kind of minutes he’s gotten thus far this season, it will be imperative for him to find his groove offensively. Whenever he is out there, teams are currently daring him to shoot and it’s hurt the team’s spacing and offensive efficiency a lot. He doesn’t need to be the 51.9% three-point shooter that he was in the regular season last year as a Knick, but he needs to be significantly better than he has been so far this season if New York wants to get past the second round.

Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks need to be better defensively

This is something that should be fixed, or at least masked, once the team gets Anunoby, Hartenstein, and Robinson back. But they need to be better individually than they’ve been so far as well. Neither are great defenders, which is fine because that’s not what they were brought in to be. But if the Knicks are to navigate all of these injuries and do so without dropping too far in the standings, and have a shot at beating one of the top Eastern Conference teams in the playoffs, both Bogdanovic and Burks will need to be a little better defensively.

New York needs some luck

Let’s say all the aforementioned things happen: all the injured guys come back and play well, DiVincenzo stays hot, Hart returns to form, and the new additions improve slightly on defense. That team can compete with any team in the league, and I truly believe that. But it still won’t be easy to win it all, let alone make it to the finals. Boston has the best roster on paper and made it to the finals just two years ago. Milwaukee, despite struggling under Doc Rivers, has a core group of guys that can be a really scary threat if they find a way to put it all together. Philadelphia has yet to make a deep run with Joel Embiid, but if he can find a way to play in the playoffs the way he does during the regular season, they’ll be a tough out. (The Sixers are ‘hopeful’ that he will return this season.) Cleveland was dominated by New York just last season but this isn’t the same team and they’ve been the best team in the league in 2024. And while a healthy New York squad should be favored against Indiana or Miami, you never know what will happen in the playoffs.

Long story short, even if everything goes right for the Knicks, they may still need some luck at some point. That luck may come in the form of them holding on to the fourth seed from hereon out, or an injury to a rival team, or a contender being upset early on in the playoffs. I don’t know what it is yet. But this team, despite being very very very good, might still need some luck to truly make it all the way.