The New York Knicks are the owners of the longest active winning streak in the NBA at five games, which just so happens to be the same number of games since they brought in OG Anunoby in a trade.
The Knicks gave up some offensive pop in the backcourt in the form of Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, but what they gained was a wing player that allows them to play to their fullest potential on the defensive end. Knicks fans were understandably frustrated with Tom Thibodeau’s usage of Quickley, as the team was better when the guard was on the floor, but he just wasn’t a Thibs guy. Through five games it’s clear that Anunoby is a Thibs guy, as his size and strength on the wing are allowing the Knicks to turn up the physicality on the defensive end. New York has not allowed a team to score more than 106 points in the last five games, and their 100.2 defensive rating (via NBA Stats) since acquiring Anunoby is the best in the league by a comical amount (The Pelicans and Bulls are tied for second at 107.4).
While it’s certainly a small sample size, it does show the potential of this group, as their new starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Isaiah Hartenstein has been absolutely bludgeoning opponents. That group has a 20.9 net rating in 84 minutes together, as they’ve struck an ideal balance (so far) on both ends of the floor. Anunoby’s defensive skills that were a bit redundant with Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam are a breath of fresh air in New York, and being able to deploy he and Josh Hart for 48 minutes to hound opposing wings allows them to play the style Thibs wants them to. They are also an even better rebounding team now, with Hartenstein dominating the boards inside and three good rebounders in Randle, Hart, and Anunoby at the forward spots. Over their winning streak, the Knicks have the league’s best rebounding rate (56.2 percent) and the second best defensive rebounding rate (77.0 percent), providing few second-chance opportunities to their opponents.
What they’ve done best since acquiring Anunoby on the defensive end is stifle “the others” of their opponent. Against the Timberwolves, Sixers, and Bulls (the three best teams they’ve beaten), they allowed the stars to get theirs — 64 combined from Edwards and Towns, 57 from Maxey and Embiid, and 54 from DeRozan and White — but they clamped down on the supporting casts. That shows an attention to detail and connectivity that is impressive for a team integrating a new key piece, as you don’t do that unless rotations are crisp and you’re communicating well on switches and help — and is evidence of them not needing to overhelp as much with a better defensive lineup.
On offense, Anunoby is still getting settled, but it certainly seems as though the offensive hierarchy has been cleared up a bit with the trade. While there have always been rumblings he’s wanted a larger role in Toronto, Anunoby has spent most of his career operating off of the ball and is comfortable in that role and knows how to move, cut, and work effectively without the ball in his hands. That puts the ball in Brunson and Randle’s hands more, where they’ve been nothing short of tremendous, combining for 52.4 points and 13.2 assists per game over the winning streak.
While the Knicks aren’t going to maintain a +20 net rating all year, what they’re doing right now also doesn’t feel particularly flukey. The defense will soften some and they will go through the typical shooting swells and dips (their 39.1 three-point percentage during the winning streak is probably not going to last all year), but they also could get a more consistent output from Anunoby on that end. There may be more to come from New York to add some more firepower to this roster, but as constructed they are going to be a handful for the top teams in the East, because they have given Thibs the defensive weapon on the wing he craved.
Where do the Knicks find themselves in this week’s DIME Power Rankings? Let’s find out…
Tier I: The Celtics
1. Boston Celtics (29-8, Last week: 2)
The Celtics keep winning at a truly impressive clip, most recently edging out Minnesota in an overtime thriller, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing at a tremendous level. They are the deserved favorites to win the title right now as it just feels like they are the class of the league right now — and have particularly separated themselves at the top of the East. The only real questions about this team (beyond staying healthy, which is a question for any contender) is whether they can stay as fluid in late game situations when the playoffs arrive. So far this season, they’ve looked less stagnant in tight fourth quarters than in the past, which was the goal in adding Kristaps Porzingis, and while final possessions still tend to be Tatum pull-up jumpers, there is much more flow in the closing minutes.
Tier II: The Best In The West
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (25-11, Last week: 1)
3. Minnesota Timberwolves (26-11, Last week: 3)
4. Los Angeles Clippers (24-13, Last week: 7)
5. Denver Nuggets (26-13, Last week: 6)
The race at the top of the West is going to be brutal this year. Where Boston has been able to open up a healthy gap in the East, none of the teams in the West race can seemingly get away from each other. Minnesota still sits on top, but they’ve been leaking oil a bit of late. The defense hasn’t been quite as stingy and the offense, despite great years from Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, can get a little sticky at times. This is the first real stretch of middling play we’ve seen from them this year, and how they respond will be telling for whether they’re ready to be a real title contender this year. Around them is another young team in this situation for the first time in OKC, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to make a strong MVP Case, and a pair of veteran squads with varying confidence levels in the playoffs. Denver, of course, will fully believe that they can win it all and seem to be managing the regular season and positioning themselves to be a top-4 seed come playoff time. The Clippers have one player (Kawhi Leonard) with a strong postseason resume and then stars around him that are trying to break through for the first time. This group is absolutely fascinating to me, and I’m very excited to see how it all sorts itself out in the West.
Tier III: The Next Best In The East
6. Milwaukee Bucks (25-12, Last week: 4)
7. Philadelphia 76ers (23-13, Last week: 5)
These two have fallen off of the pace with Boston but still have a bit of an edge on the teams behind them. That gap is closing by the day, though, and they could each really use a winning streak for morale purposes. The Sixers are dealing with a Joel Embiid knee injury right now, and unsurprisingly, his absence has coincided with their worst stretch of play of the season. Milwaukee, meanwhile, just cannot figure it out defensively and while their offense was carrying them in spite of poor defensive efforts, Damian Lillard’s in a shooting funk and the offense has lost some of its juice, leading to a skid of their own.
Tier IV: Playoff Hopefuls
8. New Orleans Pelicans (23-15, Last week: 8)
9. Sacramento Kings (23-14, Last week: 9)
10. Indiana Pacers (22-15, Last week: 12)
11. New York Knicks (22-15, Last week: 15)
12. Cleveland Cavaliers (21-15, Last week: 16)
13. Dallas Mavericks (22-16, Last week: 14)
14. Miami Heat (21-16, Last week: 10)
15. Orlando Magic (21-16, Last week: 13)
The battle for a top-6 seed in both conferences is going to be hellacious, as they each go at least 7 deep with teams solidly above .500 right now. In the East, the Pacers, Knicks, and Cavs are all hot over the last week-plus, as they’ve leapfrogged the Heat and Magic in the standings. In the West, seemingly every team in the top-7 is playing well at the moment, with Sacramento and New Orleans running particularly well of late — the Pelicans have been blasting teams on the road, with an active 7-game road win streak. Put simply, there’s a lot of good basketball being played by teams in the top half right now.
Tier V: The Middle
16. Phoenix Suns (19-18, Last week: 11)
17. Houston Rockets (18-18, Last week: 17)
18. Utah Jazz (19-20, Last week: 21)
19. Los Angeles Lakers (19-19, Last week: 19)
20. Chicago Bulls (18-21, Last week: 20)
This tier features teams going in different directions. Phoenix and the Lakers are trending the wrong way, as both teams just cannot figure out how to string together wins long enough to get away from .500 despite their considerable talent at the top. Houston, meanwhile, has been treading water at .500 almost all year in a rather remarkable bit of consistency, with their stretches of success or struggles almost entirely dependent on whether they’re in the midst of a homestand (15-6 at home) or on a road trip (3-12 on the road). On the other side, Utah is on a heater, having won 8 of their last 10, including against some top teams, to climb out of the bottom of the West and into real Play-In contention, making them a fascinating team to watch at the deadline as they have plenty of asset ammunition to take a big swing if they want to. The Bulls are also trending up with three straight wins to continue the positive vibes in Chicago, as they’ve moved into ninth in the East and after things looked bleak early with poor play and Zach LaVine’s trade request, they now seem in position to maybe bolster their roster in a LaVine trade rather than start a teardown.
Tier VI: In The Mud
21. Golden State Warriors (17-20, Last week: 18)
22. Memphis Grizzlies (14-23, Last week: 23)
23. Brooklyn Nets (16-21, Last week: 22)
24. Atlanta Hawks (15-21, Last week: 24)
25. Toronto Raptors (15-23, Last week: 25)
The Warriors join the group that is currently occupying NBA purgatory — teams that want to be good but are, in fact, bad. All of these teams are contenders to shake things up in a big way via trade. The Warriors are apparently willing to listen to teams about anyone but Steph, Atlanta is seemingly ready to move on from Dejounte Murray, and Toronto still has Pascal Siakam on the roster for now. Brooklyn has reportedly rebuffed any calls on Mikal Bridges but wants to add talent around him, while the Grizzlies (who are on a three game winning streak) now are without Ja Morant for the season and Marcus Smart for six weeks, meaning they are likely going to take the long view on what seems like a lost season.
Tier VII: Tank Generals
26. Portland Trail Blazers (10-26, Last week: 26)
27. Charlotte Hornets (8-27, Last week: 27)
29. San Antonio Spurs (6-30, Last week: 29)
28. Washington Wizards (6-31, Last week: 28)
30. Detroit Pistons (3-35, Last week: 30)
The Pistons made a statement this week losing by 22 to the Spurs to make clear there is no contender other than Detroit for the title of worst team in the NBA. Everyone else in this group is bad, but no one is on the Pistons level here. Still, that doesn’t guarantee the Pistons the No. 1 pick and there’s stiff competition behind them to secure top lotto odds.
