If you had told New York Knicks fans five years ago that their favorite team would be No. 3 in the East in 2024-25 with a 29-16 record, they would've fallen out of their chairs. However, now that we're at that point, some fans feel more doom than gloom for a variety of reasons.
New York's depth is thin, and the team can't seem to find their stride. They'll follow up a blowout win with a disappointing blowout loss. The good news is that there's still time to address their needs before the playoffs (maybe Leon Rose has a trade deadline trick up this sleeve), but it won't be easy to get there.
According to Tankathon, the Knicks' remaining schedule is the second-toughest in the league, behind the Jazz. New York still has to play Cleveland and Boston three times each, and are 0-2 against them this season. They also have to play the Grizzlies twice, the Rockets once, the Nuggets once, and the Bucks once. Houston, Memphis, and Denver are the No. 2-4 seeds in the West, respectively.
Knicks' remaining strength of schedule is second-hardest in the NBA
New York managed to secure the No. 3 seed in the East with an injury-ravaged roster last season, and could do so again, except this time, the challenge wouldn't be injuries, but opponents.
The race in the East isn't as tight as the one in the West, but the Knicks are six games back from the No. 7 Pistons. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if New York finished the season a couple spots down from No. 3, but falling out of the No. 6 seed would put the Knicks in Play-In Tournament territory. It seems unlikely that'll happen, but the schedule isn't in New York's favor.
The Knicks could get a boost from Mitchell Robinson, who hasn't played yet this season after undergoing ankle surgery last May. SNY's Ian Begley reported that the team believes he'll be available to play in early February. Robinson hasn't been cleared to practice yet, but hopefully, that news is on the horizon.
Robinson won't be his usual self when (if) he returns, but it shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks for him to get his conditioning to where it needs to be. He won't fix all of New York's issues (and he certainly won't change the schedule), but don't underestimate the impact he'll have coming off the bench or in lineups with Karl-Anthony Towns at the four.
The Knicks can only control what's in their control, and the schedule is out of their control. All they can do is take it one game at a time. It's time to sink or swim.