NBA Power Rankings: New York Knicks Falling, But There's a Silver Lining
The New York Knicks are 2-2 to start the 2023-24 NBA season, combining wins over Atlanta and Cleveland with losses to Boston and New Orleans. Despite breaking even over the first four games, the Knicks aren't performing to the expectations placed upon them after winning 47 games and a playoff series last year.
That's reflected in ESPN's power rankings after week one, which has the Knicks at 17th, seven spots lower than the opening night edition. However, analyst Tim Bontemps praises forward RJ Barrett, who has shot more efficiently from beyond the three-point line to begin the year.
"The most intriguing part in New York's split of its first four games? The play of RJ Barrett, who is 9-for-21 from 3-point range," Bontemps writes. "If Barrett can shoot anywhere near 40 percent from 3 this season, it would be a massive boost to the Knicks' offensive attack."
New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) is pressured by New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett (9) in the fourth quarter at Smoothie King Center.
Matthew Dobbins-USA TODAY Sports
Barrett, 23, is averaging a Knicks-best 21 points per game so far this season and has scored at least 16 in each of the first four games. Even though Barrett is in only the first year of a four-season contract extension, this campaign could wind up deciding his New York future.
His performance this season could dictate whether teams would be open to trading for him to acquire a star, but it could also decide whether New York feels he is worth keeping for the long haul in pursuit of a championship. Knicks management decided that was the case last season when they kept Barrett out of the ultimately futile Donovan Mitchell negotiations and granted him the aforementioned extension worth a guaranteed $107 million.
The Knicks are back in action tonight against Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers, completing a quick home-and-home set at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG). Barrett put in 16 points in the opener, a 109-91 victory in Cleveland on Tuesday night.
