The Knicks enter 2025 with the same mission they’ve carried for decades: to end their championship drought and raise a banner to the rafters at Madison Square Garden.
This year, that goal feels more attainable than it has in decades.
With a roster brimming with talent and a system that seems to be hitting its stride, these Knicks might be the closest thing to a true title contender since Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston led New York to the Finals in 1999.
The numbers tell the story of a team playing its best basketball as the new year begins. They also spotlight areas for improvement as the Knicks work to fine-tune their game in pursuit of greatness.
Here’s where the Knicks stand entering 2025:
18 – WINS SINCE NOV. 14
The Knicks are on fire.
Since their 5-6 start, New York has gone 18-4, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 17-3 record over the same span. This run includes two separate four-game winning streaks and the current eight-game surge sparked by a Dec. 15 victory over the Orlando Magic.
The Knicks’ next true test comes on Jan. 3 when they travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder, the top seed in the Western Conference.
1 – MOST MINUTES PLAYED BY ANY FIVE
Chemistry takes time, and the Knicks have leaned heavily on their starters to build it.
New York’s starting five enters the new year having logged a league-leading 561 minutes this season, outpacing the second-place Houston Rockets by 158 minutes.
Only three other teams — the Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings — have played their starters together for more than 250 minutes.
This heavy reliance stems from two factors: the team’s fortunate string of health compared to last season, and the need to integrate Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges after the Towns deal reshaped the roster midway in training camp.
In those 561 minutes, the Knicks’ starters have outscored opponents by 85 points, the second-most of any five-man lineup. Of note: Boston’s first-place starting five of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Al Horford has outscored opponents by 88 points in only 198 minutes played across 11 games this season.
21 – BOTTOM 10 IN 3-POINT ATTEMPTS
The Knicks average 36.1 three-point attempts per game, placing them in the league’s bottom 10 (21st in the league) for volume. Yet, they make the most of their opportunities, converting 38.8% of those shots, tying Milwaukee for the second-best percentage in the league.
While the analytics-driven NBA prioritizes three-point shooting, the Knicks have prioritized quality over quantity. With eight players who have shot 40% or better from deep in a season, the Knicks could easily increase their attempts without sacrificing efficiency, but they’ve opted to “let the game tell them what to do” and dictate their shot selection.
Plus jacking threes isn’t a fool-proof success method: The Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets rank second and third in threes attempted per game, but you likely won’t see either in the playoff hunt. The Golden State Warriors are attempting more than 41 threes a night, but they’re struggling to stay above-.500.
The Knicks shouldn’t be in the bottom-10, but they don’t need to be top-five either. Striking the right balance is most important.
1 – TOWNS’ LEAGUE-LEADING FOUL COUNT
Towns’ transition to New York has been largely seamless — offensively. The big man is averaging 24.7 points and 13.5 rebounds on 55% shooting from the field and 44% from three. His presence at the five has created cutting lanes for Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby, but his 112 personal fouls lead the league, a recurring issue for the Knicks’ thin frontcourt.
The absence of Mitchell Robinson only compounds this issue. Robinson, recovering from a second surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left ankle, has yet to play this season. Precious Achiuwa has filled the gap admirably, but the team needs Towns to stay out of foul trouble while Robinson works toward his return.
20 – GAMES VS. LOSING TEAMS
The Knicks have faced 20 opponents with losing records in their first 33 games. They’ve done what good teams should, going 11-1 in those matchups, but questions remain about their ability to consistently perform against elite competition.
New York has lost its only game against the Celtics, the East’s top seed. They’ve also dropped games to the Cavaliers, Mavericks and Rockets. Against the top five seeds in either conference, the Knicks are just 5-4, and against Play-In hopefuls seeded 6-11, they’re a middling 7-5.
The Knicks can stuff the win column against lesser opponents, but they will be judged by how they perform against their playoff-bound peers.
30 – BENCH SCORING STRUGGLES
New York’s bench ranks dead last in scoring at 20.5 points per game. Despite the lack of firepower, the reserves have won their minutes with a league-best defensive rating of 44.7, contributing to a net rating of +38.
Landry Shamet’s return from injury has added a scoring boost, but the Knicks could use additional firepower or further double down on defense. Robinson’s return should provide more of a paint presence plus the ability to further stagger Towns’ minutes, some with Robinson, and some helping boost a second unit struggling to consistently put the ball in the basket.
535,301 – DOLLARS BENEATH THE 2ND APRON
The Knicks are operating on a razor-thin margin, with just over $500,000 in space beneath their hard cap. In truth, they don’t have access to this space: There are no players they can sign as free agents using this room, and they are prohibited from taking back more salary than they send out in a trade.
Yet trade rumors will persist, and Robinson’s $14.3 million salary is a logical chip, given his absence this season and the team’s immediate needs. His potential return, however, could be the internal upgrade the Knicks need if he can stay healthy and provide the rim protection they’ve been missing.
.528 – STRENTH OF SCHEDULE AHEAD
The Knicks have enjoyed the league’s easiest schedule so far, according to ESPN’s Relative Percent Index, but that’s about to change. Starting in January, they’ll face the seventh-toughest remaining slate.
Tankathon, a website dedicated to tracking teams’ NBA Draft Lottery odds, ranks New York’s remaining schedule as the hardest in the league.
The new year begins with a matchup against the struggling Jazz, but things intensify quickly: 10 of January’s 15 games are against playoff-caliber opponents. February and March are similarly daunting, and the Knicks will play Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta, Phoenix, Boston, Detroit and Cleveland, again, in April, before ending the regular season at Barclays Center in a matinee finale against the Nets.
The Knicks will need to prove they can compete with the league’s best to solidify their status as contenders.
1 – STEPS TAKEN AT A TIME
The Knicks are on a roll, but they know better than to look too far ahead. Their focus remains on the task at hand — daily improvement, building chemistry, winning games and addressing their weaknesses.
The numbers show a Knicks team rolling into 2025. They also show a team with room to grow if it wants to make good on its promise to deliver this city the title is hasn’t seen in more than half a century.
