3 ways Knicks can live up to RJ Barrett’s ‘shock the world’ expectation

It’s the final day of September, which means that New York Knicks fans have almost made it past the last full month without basketball. Preseason is right around the corner, and after that, the 2022-23 NBA season will tip off. New York will travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Oct. 19, and two nights later, the Knicks will make their home debut against the Pistons.

Expectations for New York aren’t high, but fans are hoping for a different outcome than the one that they were given in 2021-22. The Knicks made some valuable moves in the offseason, like signing Jalen Brunson and trading Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, and Kemba Walker, but they’ll likely still have to fight tooth and nail to earn a spot in the play-in tournament.

However, there’s always the chance that New York will end up earning a playoff berth without going through the play-in tournament first, which would be miraculous. In an 82-game season, anything can happen, so while the chances of the Knicks making it to the playoffs may be slim, New York shouldn’t be counted out entirely.

That’s why on Media Day, RJ Barrett said that the Knicks are going to “shock the world.” Whether you believe that or not, New York could end up turning some heads by doing these three things.

3 ways Knicks could live up to RJ Barrett’s ‘shock the world’ expectation

3: Have more than 1 player be named an All-Star

Obi Toppin won the 2022 AT&T Slam Dunk contest at All-Star weekend in Cleveland this past February, but no Knicks players were named as All-Stars. In 2021, Julius Randle represented New York in Atlanta in his first All-Star appearance, but he wasn’t even an afterthought this past season.

At the end of the 2021-22 season, RJ Barrett said that his personal goal for the upcoming season is to be named an All-Star. He echoed that again at Media Day. He signed a four-year, $120 million extension a few weeks ago, and many Knicks fans believe that he’s on the verge of a breakout season. Jalen Brunson will help to take RJ’s game to the next level, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the 22-year-old were to be in Salt Lake City come February.

And speaking of Brunson, he’s coming off a big year, which is what resulted in him signing a four-year, $104 million contract in free agency. If he can build off the momentum that he ended the year with, the 26-year-old could be named an All-Star for the first time as well.

Barrett and Brunson are the two likeliest Knicks players to be All-Stars, and if both of them represent the Eastern Conference, that’d be one way to prove RJ’s “shock the world” statement.

2: Finish the season with an above .500 record

If the Knicks want to have a successful season, they should win more than they lose, correct? Correct. It’s a very simple, yet difficult strategy.

Last year, New York finished 11th in the East with a 37-45 record. In 2020-21, the Knicks truly did shock the world when they finished fourth in the conference with a 41-31 record considering that the year before that, their record was 21-45 in the COVID-shortened season.

If New York can manage to finish at .500, people would be surprised, but if the team can finish above .500, the surprise would turn to amazement. The Eastern Conference is stacked, and teams that made it to the play-in/playoffs last season got better in the offseason. It’s going to be an absolute battle for the Knicks to reach .500, especially when you look at the other teams in their division, but it’s not impossible.

Even if New York does finish above .500 this season, that doesn’t mean that the team will be a lock for the postseason, but still, it’d show improvement for the Knicks. After all, since the 2000-01 season, New York has only finished above .500 five times.

1: Make it to the playoffs

If New York finds a way to make it to the playoffs this season, that alone would shock the world. The Knicks have made it to the postseason six times this decade, and only one of those appearances resulted in making it past the first round (2012-13).

New York fighting through the East to make the postseason is going to require a lot of things to go right for the Knicks. That’s what happened in 2020-21, but the conference is perhaps the best that it’s ever been.

Outside of the projected top five teams in the conference (Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Philadelphia Sixers, Boston Celtics), there are teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks that traded for All-Stars this summer. Then there’s the Toronto Raptors, who finished 48-34 last season, and the Chicago Bulls, who finished right behind the Raptors at 46-36.

As you can see, the outlook for New York making the playoffs is slim, but the Knicks have depth, which is especially key for a long season. There’s a lot that can happen between October and April.

There’s no denying that the world will be shocked if the New York Knicks claw their way to the playoffs, but first, let’s try to make it through the first part of the season.

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