I could start this thing off with a "don't sleep on the Knicks" type of warning, but it's too late for that. We all slept on the Knicks.
SI.com's Michael Shapiro ranked the Knicks at No. 28 in his power rankings a couple of days before the 2020-21 season kicked off. ESPN's preseason power rankings had the Knicks at No. 29. I, myself, along with The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, were among the worst offenders of them all, placing them in dead last at No. 30.
But it's not like we were out of hand in making these projections. The Knicks finished with a 21-45 record last year, adding seemingly marginal pieces like Alec Burks in the offseason along with drafting Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley. The last thing that these new players suggested was that the team would improve Quickley (sorry), but here we are. It's too early to jump to any conclusions, but the Knicks are 5-3 thanks to convincing wins over projected playoff teams like the Bucks, Pacers, Hawks and Jazz.
Perhaps it's too soon to think that the Knicks will stay this way all season long. But is it too far to say that they're a legitimately good basketball team this year? I don't think so, and neither does Austin Rivers, another new piece that the Knicks added in the offseason.
"I don't care who we are, what we are, who we have, don't have. I'll never go onto the floor thinking we don't have a chance to win a game," Rivers said, adding that he will never understand a player with that mindset. "I've been on bad teams before, this is not one. I can promise you that.
"I don't know where we'll end up. There's so much work to do. It's really early in the year, but I do know the spirit is different. The willingness to work and learn is different. From management to coaching is different. This is not the Knicks team that... y'all have been covering. This is not."
Rivers exploded in the fourth quarter against the Jazz, ripping off 14 straight points including a dagger stepback three-pointer that put the Knicks up double digits.
Overall, he's averaging 13.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a steal in four outings that he's played this year, and his role should only grow after Wednesday night's performance. Not bad for a guy the Knicks signed on for three years at just under $10 million, making him the 108th highest-paid guard in the league for this season (via Spotrac).
Tom Thibodeau might be that key factor that has helped to turn the Knicks' fortunes around, seeing as Rivers addressed the "management and coaching" differences from past seasons. The Knicks rank third in the NBA in points allowed per game at just 104.5, despite playing some of the high-powered offenses listed above. And though the offense has been the third-worst in the league, it has done enough to support the stalwart defensive unit to this point.
We'll see how long it lasts. But for now, Knicks fans are (and should be) enjoying the ride.
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