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The New York Knicks believe they are in a better position to compete in the long haul now that they got rid of what they referred to as ‘soft’ players. This, according to a team source quoted in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter).
Players pertained to were Obi Toppin, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who were shipped out in separate deals. Toppin was traded to the Indiana Pacers in the offseason for two future second-round picks while Barrett and Quickley were sent to the Toronto Raptors in late December for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, Malychi Flynn and a 2024 second-round pick.
As per one Knicks source as quoted in a post by Basketball On X, the team feels its culture has been cultivated following the player moves it made.
The quote read:
“We got rid of the softies.”
The Knicks have been playing solid basketball so far in the ongoing NBA season. They are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 22-16 record, boosted by winning five of their last six games.
Leading the charge for the team are Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. Brunson, playing in his second year in the Big Apple, is the team’s leading scorer with 25.8 points, 6.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and a steal in 35.7 minutes. Two-time All-Star Randle, meanwhile, has been steady for 24.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 35.6 minutes.
Newly acquired Anunoby, for his part, has been solid so far, providing 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals, apart from the intangibles he brings, in his first six games with New York.
One-time NBA champions believe Knicks are contenders in the East after trades
The perceived improvement of the New York Knicks is not lost to one-time NBA champions and Basketball Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
The two Boston Celtics greats spoke about it in a recent episode of Garnett’s KG Certified podcast, highlighting how the recent trades the Knicks have made have improved their overall play, enough to be considered serious contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Pierce shared his thoughts on how he sees New York figuring in its conference, saying as reported on Heavy.com:
“I’m looking at the East. It’s the Celtics and everybody else a couple of tiers below. Even Milwaukee is a tier below the Celtics. If the Knicks could find a way to avoid the Celtics in the second round [of the playoffs], they can be in the conference finals.”
Garnett, meanwhile, highlighted the impact that Anunoby has had on the team, particularly on the defensive end. He used the New York’s 128-92 rout of the higher-seeded Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 5 to make his case.
‘KG’ said:
“Man, [Anunoby] locked down [Tyrese] Maxey. They blew the f*cking Sixers out! Do you feel me? By 30! “They’re playing not only the defense that [Tom Thibodeau] loves, but they are starting to put a defensive momentum together. [Julius] Randle is playing better. [Jalen] Brunson is leading that whole charge.”
The Knicks are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 22-16 record. Last season. They made it all the way to the second round of the playoffs as the fifth seeds in its conference.
Guess the Lakers players!
