The Knicks ended their 2024-25 season falling two wins short of the NBA Finals, after a whirlwind of a year that began with a training camp eve blockbuster trade and brought a shocking upset over the defending champion Boston Celtics.
Let’s look back and see how each individual team member performed this year as a whole and grade them for their efforts:
Jalen Brunson: A
The Captain continued his rise into NBA stardom this year and delivered when the Knicks needed him most, earning himself a Clutch Player of the Year Award. Brunson averaged 26 points and 7.3 assists on 54 percent shooting from two and 38 percent shooting from three during the regular season, then upped his game in the postseason, averaging 29 and seven assists on 51 percent shooting from two and 36 percent from three.
There were drawbacks, as he didn’t leave the Conference Finals on the best note and got hammered defensively that series. As the team leader he’s also responsible for the communication and ego issues the team constantly brought up throughout the season, but this was his first go around as the clear No. 1 in the locker room, so look for improvements in all these regards next year.
Karl-Anthony Towns: A-
Despite being shipped by the team that drafted him and molded him over nine years on the eve of training camp and immediately facing questions about his toughness and defense, Towns adjusted to New York quickly and effectively, putting together an All-Star worthy season. Though his defense was infuriating at times, he put it together for that Celtics series and still brought a massive scoring punch every night, despite not being maximized on that end.
OG Anunoby: B+
After signing the biggest contract in Knicks history, Anunoby averaged a career-high 18 points on 37 percent shooting from three, expanding his self-creation game and still bringing that otherworldly defense. He had a rough shooting conference finals in a tough matchup, and had some weird bouts of inconsistency, but was one of the more dependable Knicks on the season, playing 74 games and upping the ante defensively.
Mikal Bridges: B-
Bridges will forever be haunted by the price it took to acquire him, but had a strong year, including some massive postseason moments, outside of his odd quirks. If he comes back next year having rediscovered his shooting stroke and willingness to play with some physicality, it could be a massive season for him.
Josh Hart: B-
It’s hard to ding a guy that does all the thankless things for a team stacked with offensive talent, but something about Hart’s year didn’t quite measure up to his previous work. Most egregious was a disastrous Pacers series in which he nearly had as many turnovers as field goals, but even prior to that, the pace-pushing, tenacious rebounding, and connectivity was come-and-go.
Mitchell Robinson: A+
After missing the length of the season recovering from an ankle injury, Robinson returned and was one of the most impactful Knicks of the Playoffs, single-handedly turning around games to the point he was inserted into the starting lineup. There were questions surrounding his health coming into the year that got his name tied up in trade rumors, but he’s re-cemented himself as a top starting center in this league after a dominant postseason.
Miles McBride: C+
Last year’s breakout year came with heightened expectations for McBride, who struggled through injury and regression during the regular season, before bouncing back somewhat in the Playoffs. He had a case to play more as a true spacer and defender in Towns-at-the-five lineups, but didn’t get many opportunities for it.
Precious Achiuwa: B
Achiuwa wasn’t a mainstay in the rotation, especially once Robinson returned, but when called upon did his job serviceably and with high effort. This included out-of-position stints at the four and some short but useful appearances in the Playoffs.
Cameron Payne: C-
A nice stopgap as a backup point, Payne was serviceable enough in taking up some first half minutes, especially when he knocked down shots. But his small frame was a target defensively that got exposed in the Playoffs when he struggled to score on the other end, and outside a couple of cool moments, had a largely forgettable year.
Landry Shamet: B+
A strong preseason that set him up for a rotation spot ended in a hamstring injury that sidelined him for much of the regular season, but after a ramp-up period and late postseason insertion into the rotation, Shamet paid solid dividends to the Knicks for keeping their faith in him. A trusted shooter and willing defender, they should try to retain him as an off-the-bench piece.
Delon Wright: B+
The Knicks acquired Wright at the trade deadline in exchange for Jericho Sims, but didn’t really utilize him until they found their backs against the wall against Indiana. At that point, he proved himself a capable bench spark defensively, if only we had seen more of it prior.
Tom Thibodeau: B+
While Thibodeau gets the highest of marks for getting the Knicks to their first Conference Finals in decades, unfortunately many of the frustrations with his coaching reared their heads at once in knocking the Knicks out of that series. Failure to experiment with lineups throughout the regular season, failure to trust in the bench, and a failure to maximize the offense all came back to haunt New York, but given their success and his popularity among the players, the adjustment here is bringing in a strong assistant or two instead of replacing the winningest coach in recent Knicks history.
