Where Do Knicks Players Fall In New Top 100 NBA List?
Ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season, four New York Knicks players were among CBS Sports' Top 100 NBA players.
Guards Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley ranked 27th and 88th respectively and they were joined by forwards RJ Barrett (86th) and Julius Randle (59th)
Brunson was the highest-ranked player on the Knicks for the second straight season: his work with the Dallas Mavericks put him 60th on last year's list but his first outing on a four-year, $104 million contract moved him up to 27th, making him the fifth-highest riser in the rankings.
He averaged 24 points and 6.2 assists in the regular season before upping his scoring to a Knicks-best 27.8 in the 11-game playoff run.
Behind him was Randle, the Knicks' big man who made his second All-NBA team this past season (third-team honors alongside fellow Top 100 candidates De'Aaron Fox, LeBron James, Damian Lillard, and Domantas Sabonis).
After a tumultuous 2021-22 season, Randle got back on track by averaging a double-double (25.1 points, 10 rebounds) and standing as the Knicks' leading regular season scorer. Randle also earned his second All-Star Game nomination and was a late addition to the Association's 3-Point Contest.
USA TODAY SPORTS
Barrett, a newly-crowned bronze medalist at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, returned to the list but fell 23 spots from last season. His stats were respectable enough at averages of 19.6 points and five rebounds but they were a slight drop-off from the year prior.
The Knicks hope that a successful World Cup stint (which ended with Barrett scoring at least 20 in each of his final three games) is a sign of Barrett taking his game to a new level, especially with a large contract extension kicking in.
Rounding out the Knicks representation on the list was Quickley, the runner-up for last season's Sixth Man of the Year Award. Quickley impressed in both the traditional and advanced statistical categories: his award campaign posted career-bests in scoring (14.9) and rebounding (4.2) and he also ranked 44th in win shares with 6.7, tied with Trae Young and ahead of players like Ja Morant and Jaylen Brown.
Recent MVPs topped CBS' list as Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo respectively led the way. Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, and Kevin Durant rounded out the top five.
