Knicks Drop in NBA Power Rankings; Rise Coming After OG Anunoby Trade?
The New York Knicks are riding a high after making a trade with the Toronto Raptors for 3-and-D forward OG Anunoby over the weekend. Shortly after the Knicks followed that up with a 112-106 win over the best team in the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, tipping off the new year in thrilling fashion.
Despite all the recent excitement, though, NBA.com's Power Rankings take a full week's worth of play into consideration before rolling out their new lists. On Tuesday's edition, the Knicks were ranked 14th, two spots lower from the prior issue.
Before Monday's big win over Minnesota, New York (18-15) dropped all three stages of a year-ending road trip to Oklahoma City, Orlando, and Indiana.
Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY SPORTS
The Knicks might be in the middle of the pack right now, but if Anunoby's New York debut was any indicator, they should find their way into the top 10 sooner rather than later. Before fouling out, the seventh-year forward put up 17 points, six rebounds, and two steals while shooting 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-6 from deep against the Wolves' top-ranked defense. He was also a team-best plus-19 in 35 minutes.
"Three seasons ago, the Knicks ranked fourth defensively," John Schuhmann wrote. "Then they dropped to 11th in 2021-22 and 19th last season, and they ranked 20th on that end of the floor through Sunday. Anunoby was a big part of three top-five defenses in Toronto and he’s allowed just 0.79 points per possession on isolations over the last five seasons, according to Synergy tracking."
"He’s is also a pretty good fit on offense, where Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle will continue to dominate the ball. The Knicks rank third in the percentage of their 3-point attempts (28 percent) that have come from the corners and Anunoby now ranks third in total corner threes (34), having gone 3-for-4 from the corners on Monday."
The Knicks are currently 18-15, good enough for eighth-place in the Eastern Conference standings, with a home date against the Chicago Bulls coming up on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. MSG/ABC). New York will have a decent shot to put together a mini-winning steak before they have a big road test against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
