The New York Knicks are an average team. At a humbling 3-3, New York fans’ championship predictions and over-the-top vibes didn’t net a grand start from the Jalen Brunson-led roster. Instead, the Knicks produced .500-basketball in the first six games of the 2024-25 season. The Knicks look to take advantage of the flailing Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Monday saw the Knicks lose to the Houston Rockets 109-97 despite Brunson scoring 29 points. However, Brunson’s scoring didn’t tell the entire story of his performance. Brunson went full hero-ball, as he converted 9-24 shots. However, despite his shot going through the basket, the All-Star point guard netted a 9-9 mark at the charity stripe.
Brunson’s persistence steadies the Knicks as a threat to win most games, as he can finish on the perimeter and is physical enough to force refs into blowing the whistle. Although Trae Young is a dangerous point guard regarding accumulating assists, as he’s averaging a career-high 11 per contest, he can’t play defense, nor does he have the build to combat Brunson’s physically imposing attack.
Furthermore, Young is listed as probable with a rib strain, which could lead to an absolute matador defense from the undersized guard.
However, the Knicks have no room to underestimate the Hawks’ 3-5 record, as they haven’t executed their mission of starting with a bang and aiming to make noise in the Eastern Conference; Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau must shield his team from the otherworldly expectations for a slow-starting roster.
Related: Knicks Fall Flat in Loss to Rockets For the Knicks to conjure the thought of contending for their first NBA Finals berth since 1999, Spike Lee’s favorite squad must play above their record, and beating sub-500 teams like the Hawks is a great start.
