There’s some deja vu going on. This time last summer, the New York Knicks were labeled as a play-in team at best after “overpaying” Jalen Brunson in free agency. The front office eventually deciding to back out of the Donovan Mitchell trade talks gave people even less hope for New York in 2022-23.
For the first time in a long time, karma played in the Knicks’ favor as they secured the No. 5 seed in the East and knocked Mitchell and the Cavaliers out of the first round of the playoffs. Julius Randle earned All-NBA/All-Star honors for the second time in three seasons, but Brunson solidified himself as the star that New York should build around.