Jalen Brunson’s remarkable postseason run—one of the best ever by a New York Knicks player—came to an early end when he suffered a
broken left hand, cutting his playoff campaign short by a quarter. Meanwhile, Julius Randle’s season had already concluded months earlier
due to a separated shoulder, and the Knicks lost three more key contributors throughout their playoff run. Despite being severely shorthanded,
the Knicks mounted a fierce challenge in Game 7 on Sunday, forcing the Indiana Pacers to call a timeout midway through the fourth quarter as
New York battled for a spot in the next round. Guard Donte DiVincenzo reflected the team’s mindset: “I don’t want to discredit them at all,
but with everything that happened, I think it was an 11, 12-point game with six minutes left, five minutes left. And that’s our mindset as an
organization. It really does not matter who’s out there for us, because every single person is going to give 110%. We have a system, we have
core principles, that if you follow them, you believe in, you give yourself a shot every single game.”
While the Knicks’ resilience was evident, their 130-109 defeat in Game 7 kept them from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the
first time since 2000. Nonetheless, the team has made clear strides since Brunson’s arrival. In his two seasons, New York has won a playoff series
both years, something they hadn’t done since 2013. Now, the Knicks face an important decision: should they bolster the roster around Brunson, or
is health alone enough to take them further? After acquiring OG Anunoby on December 30, the Knicks surged through January, finishing
with a 14-2 record. But the loss of Randle on January 27, followed by a necessary surgery, derailed the momentum. Mitchell Robinson, who
had led the NBA in offensive rebounding, broke his foot in December. Although he returned late in the season, he was sidelined once again
during the playoffs, as was forward Bojan Bogdanovic. Anunoby also suffered a hamstring strain in Game 2 against the Pacers, missed the
next four games, and played only five minutes in Game 7. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau praised his team’s resilience in the face of
adversity: “A lot of teams would’ve folded. We took the hit with Mitch, then you add in Julius and OG, your starting frontline, and then Bogey
goes out. It was hit after hit, but these guys never folded.” Looking ahead, the Knicks must decide whether to retain this core, anchored by All-
Stars Brunson and Randle, and hope for better health, or to make further moves. New York finished the season 50-32, second in the Eastern
Conference, and could see even greater success with a fully healthy roster.
The Knicks also have two first-round draft picks, which they could use in a trade package, and with three playoff appearances in four seasons under Thibodeau, they may be positioned to attract top-tier free agents—something that eluded the franchise for years.
As for Brunson, he’s focused on continued improvement. “I think the most important thing that I need to do is to continue just to strive for perfection, strive for perfection,” he said. “And, knowing that I’m never going to get there, it’s just my mind says I just need to be better every single day. I don’t care what I’ve done as a player. It means nothing. I need to be better and I’m going to go into the summer training to be better and I’ll come back ready next year.”