As the curtains close on the Knicks' 2024-25 season, fans are left with many questions. Chief among them is whether or not their two best players can co-exist. The answer should be absolutely, but it is nuanced. The All-NBA pair of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns looked flawed because they played in a flawed system. If the Knicks lean into an offense-first style, not only can Brunson and Towns work, but they can thrive.
On paper, the Knicks look almost perfect. They have elite scoring and rebounding, multiple two-way wings, and the jackknife of all jackknives in Josh Hart. However, far too often in the regular season and playoffs, the team looked out of sorts and ineffective.
The Knicks had a defensive rating of about 113 in both the regular season and playoffs. In the playoffs, games become a chess match of finding the opposing team's weakness and exposing it. For the Knicks, they have two weaknesses, both Towns and Brunson. It helps surrounding them with great defenders like Mitchell Robinson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart to a lesser degree, but it is not a perfect fix.
Both Towns and Brunson got exposed at different times in the playoffs on the defensive end, as is to be expected. They will rarely look great on that end of the floor. The Knicks have to live with that. Instead of pouring their efforts into insulating their two best players, they need to focus on outscoring teams by maximizing their talents.
The change they need
Tom Thibodeau got things halfway right in the playoffs by finally moving Josh Hart to the Knicks' bench. The issue was he was replaced by Mitchell Robinson. Now, Hart and Robinson are both good players, just not the type of player the Knicks need.
To get the most out of their superstars, the Knicks need to maximize their spacing. The logical step would have been to play Deuce McBride in Hart's spot. For whatever reason, the Knicks barely went that route in either the regular season or the playoffs. If not McBride, the Knicks' number one priority this summer needs to be finding a floor-spacing guard or wing.
Potential targets
There will be a few potential targets this summer who meet that criteria, with the best options for the Knicks being Gary Trent Jr. and Luke Kennard. Trent Jr. shot 41.6 percent from deep in the regular season while Kennard was at 43.3 percent.
Whatever route the Knicks ultimately go this summer, if their team is still structured around Brunson and Towns by the start of the season, it will be imperative that it is surrounded by floor spacers.