The Knicks aren’t overachieving, this is just who they are

For the majority of the last two and a half decades, the New York Knicks have been known as a dysfunctional franchise synonymous with a whole bunch of words nobody wants to be attached to, words like losing, failure, embarrassment, leaderless, and directionless, to name a few. But over the last few years, under the direction of Leon Rose and William Wesley, the former laughing stock of the league has embarked on a new era that has managed to wipe off the stench that had followed the franchise around for so long.

Yet the label surrounding this team often stops at “overachievers”. Now, being an overachiever isn’t a bad thing, and I’m guilty of labeling this team as such in the past, as well. But using that phrase seems unfair considering this team has now “overachieved” three of the last four seasons.

In the 20-21 season, we saw the “We Here” Knicks, led by Julius Randle, and a mishmash of veterans and kids make a surprise playoff appearance. Two seasons later, we saw newcomer Jalen Brunson completely change the trajectory of the franchise by being an All-Star level point guard and leading the team to its first second-round appearance in over a decade. And now we’re witnessing a hobbled team overcome trades and injuries to shut out the outside noise and make a run at a top-three seed in the east.

This begs me to ask the question, are they really overachieving? Or is it just the media and the rest of the NBA continuing to sleep on and underestimate the Knicks and their potential? Because the very use of the aforementioned phrase may be evidence of the latter. Now, admittedly, I am nitpicking. And it’s not to say that I’m unhappy with the improved media coverage because it has been a nice change considering much of the coverage surrounding this team used to be about how bad their free agent signing were, how many losses in a row they had, or why the coach was on the hot seat. I mean, throughout this season, we’ve seen the likes of JJ Reddick, Tim Legler, and even Kendrick Perkins, and Stephen A Smith go on national television to rave about the Knicks, and how much of a threat they could be in the playoffs.

But it’s time that people recognize that this is the new norm. The overcoming of injuries, playing hard night in and night out, having the “next man up” attitude, diving for loose balls, being an elite defense (when healthy), and ultimately, winning, are what is expected out of this team. And it doesn’t just stop with the on-court play. The current front office deserves their flowers as well. They’ve signed Randle, Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Deuce McBride to some of the best, team-friendly, valuable deals in the league, and while you can criticize their handling of some of the younger players in the past, there is no denying their eye, not only for talent, but character, work ethic, and selflessness. Simply put, the current iteration of the Knicks has established a new culture on and off the court and that means a lot.

And look, nobody is asking for Knicks culture to be splattered across their jerseys, or to have it painted on the court like the Heat did, because that’s leaning too far into what has admittedly become an overused word. But if people are going to credit continuous winning in Golden State, Memphis, and Boston to culture, then you can argue that New York deserves the same respect. And sure, the Warriors won multiple rings last decade, and the Heat and Celtics have both made multiple finals as of late, but the Knicks are winning, doing so consistently, and doing it in their own way and the eye test proves there’s been a culture change too. And that should be enough to realize that they are no longer overachieving. This is just who they are.