Analyst: Knicks Still One Year Away From Contention

The New York Knicks may need some more time in the oven.

Mar 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) protects the basketball from Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are coming off of impressive wins against the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat, but there are still some challenges facing the team.

The losses against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics shortly after the All-Star break haven't been erased from memory, and that could spark off some major red flags for the team moving forward.

HoopsHype writer Mike Shearer believes that the Knicks are still a year away from being a true contender.

"While I’ve thought since the summer that the Knicks’ best chance at contention would come next year, it’s still discouraging to see just how helpless they’ve looked against the cream of the league – 0-7 against Cleveland, Oklahoma City, and Boston doesn’t instill confidence in this team advancing past the second round," Shearer writes.

"But Mitchell Robinson is back, baby! And if he can get up to speed, the Knicks do play three more games against their Eastern Conference superiors in a nine-day span in early April. Knicks fans need at least one win for their mental health," he continued.

Seasons are long in the NBA, and the Knicks have succumbed to the struggles of the injury bug. That's part of why they sit behind the Cavs and Celtics in the Eastern Conference, but it could also be that the team is still learning how to jell with one another.

The Celtics already have that chemistry off the rip and the Cavs core has now been together for a few years. The Knicks are still not a full season in with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges next to Jalen Brunson, yet they still find themselves at No. 3 in the East.

Perhaps a full offseason will help the Knicks mature into the vision that the front office had at the beginning of this past summer.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more!