The holiday season is here, and that patented wonderful feeling is in the air. That’s right! It’s New York Knicks basketball!
Times are great in the Big Apple, as the Knicks seem to have figured out a way to mesh. The “Mid 3” of RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle is clearly better than anybody expected, as the Knicks’ three best players have all looked like All-Star-caliber players over this hot streak.
Over the last nine games (before Friday’s matchup against the Bulls), Barrett has averaged 22 points and 6 rebounds on 46/36/74 shooting splits; Brunson has averaged 20 points and 6 assists on 42/50/97 splits; and Randle has led the way averaging 27 points and 11 rebounds on 43/33/83 splits.
The Knicks have looked excellent, led by their three lefties (and the supporting cast as well), notably Quentin Grimes, who has averaged 12 points on 45% three-point shooting. Grimes has added much-needed shooting, a stat the Knicks have been below-average in.
The catalyst of the Knicks’ holiday win streak has been their defense, though. Through December, the Knicks have had the second-best defensive rating in the league at 103.6, only trailing the first-place Memphis Grizzlies’ 103.0 rating.
As for Christmas in New York, the Knicks have been naughty for the last 50 years, but now it looks as if they’re being nice, and the team and fans deserve presents! What should we wish for as a fanbase, though?
I’m putting a win against the 76ers first. Wishing for one win isn’t exactly dreaming big, but it’s an important game. A steaming hot Knicks will host Philadelphia, led by Joel Embiid and James Harden in the first game on NBA Christmas Day.
The Knicks are on a run that would have way more eyes on it if they were a flashier team. If the Knicks keep the streak going or continue to play at this level, nationally televising their success would be a major plus.
A win on national television against a flaming hot Embiid and Harden, who is playing like an elite point guard, would be a major victory for New York, especially since the Knicks are 3-7 against Philly in their last 10 matchups.
Joel Embiid recently made headlines with a weird statement</a> saying that he thinks 76ers fans want him traded. Believing the Knicks will land Joel Embiid via some trade is far-fetched, but Embiid will get to see MSG under the brightest lights, which will definitely draw the attention of the superstar that loves to draw attention.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/24/5-things-knicks-fans-should-put-on-their-christmas-list/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Make Some Deals! </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Derrick Rose #4 of the New York Knicks (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Gift #4: Unload Veterans who deserve minutes elsewhere</h3>
<p>Derrick Rose was carrying the Knicks through Game 2 of the Knicks vs Hawks playoff series 1.5 years ago, and now he’s completely out of the Knicks rotation. Coach Thibodeau has surprised with his flexibility this year and has been playing a lot of young guys over the veterans.</p>
<p>The Bulls’ unreal love for their hometown hero, mixed with the fact that they’ve been missing a floor general all year, <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/24/5-things-knicks-fans-should-put-on-their-christmas-list/"https://theathletic.com/4010238/2022/12/16/greenberg-bulls-retire-derrick-rose-jersey-trade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poses the obvious trade question (subscription required)</a>. Rose and Evan Fournier have both been relegated to watching the games without getting real minutes. Rose recently got to play some garbage time in the last game vs the Bulls and got a huge standing ovation.</p>
<p>Rose should be traded for his sake and because he has positive value on his expiring contract, so the Knicks could get something back for him, most likely a second-round pick or two, or potentially an opportunity to get Evan Fournier off the books by packaging him into the deal.</p>
<p>Fournier has had a rough year, which led to his benching. However, he could have a good chance at taking on a role with another team. Recent rumored trade proposals indicate the Knicks could deal Fournier while throwing in Reddish as a sweetener for expiring contracts, giving the Knicks some cap relief for a guy they don’t use.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/24/5-things-knicks-fans-should-put-on-their-christmas-list/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Bring Meaningful Basketball Back to MSG </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Gift #3: The Knicks make the playoffs</h3>
<p>We all remember Cody, the young Knicks fan whose <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/24/5-things-knicks-fans-should-put-on-their-christmas-list/"https://fansided.com/2014/12/22/young-fans-christmas-wish-knicks-make-playoffs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christmas wish was for the Knicks to make the playoffs</a>, right? Well, that was Christmas of 2014, the season where the Knicks finished 17-65, and at this exact time they were 5-25. Well, Cody did get his wish SIX YEARS LATER!</p>
<p>The Knicks finally made the playoffs before managing to botch it a season later by having a nightmare of a season partially due to the fact they didn’t have a point guard (and had Alec Burks play point for some strange reason).</p>
<p>That was one of many problems last season, though. Randle also regressed; it took Barrett three months to figure out what basketball was; and Thibodeau coached basketball like he had never watched the sport before. It is what it is.</p>
<p>The Knicks have responded by signing a hardly 6-foot-tall point guard who has very quickly become the best floor general the Knicks have had in decades. Jalen Brunson has given the Knicks some much-needed structure, and now they’re back in the playoff picture.</p>
<p>It would be awesome if the Knicks don’t get starched in the playoffs like in 2021. This time, though, they’ll be led by Brunson, who averaged 27.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in the first round of last year’s playoffs when he helped the Mavs past Utah while Luka Doncic spent part of the series injured.</p>
<p>The Knicks are well over the salary cap at the moment, and Randle and Brunson can both get elected as NBA All-Stars this year, so it’s incumbent that they make the playoffs this year. Missing the postseason after going all-in on Brunson and having three players being paid north of $20 million would not be a good look.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/24/5-things-knicks-fans-should-put-on-their-christmas-list/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Come on, RJ </a>
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deserved his extension when he received it</a>, and for a while, he was doing his best to prove me wrong. But once again, in mid-December, it appears RJ’s fall slump has come to a close.</p>
<p>This is something that cannot continue, though. It happens every season, which makes me think that RJ either has a mental block coming into the season or his routine is off. It’s not going to go over well with the fans if RJ is getting paid nearly $30 million per year, and he continually starts the season with two awful months of basketball where he looks lost.</p>
<p>When Barrett is good, he’s really, really good — like he looks like he could become a second option on a championship team. He has to stop this for everyone’s own good, especially if he wants to make an All-Star team.</p>
<p>Barrett is 22 years old, and there’s a chance this is still something he’s just yet to outgrow, but he officially starts his second contract next year, and the fall slump is something he will need to leave to the past.</p><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_137444" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Gift #1: The Knicks find a direction, hopefully through a blockbuster trade</h3>
<p>The Knicks have struggled to find direction, however, the amount of young players getting meaningful minutes has shown that they do believe in their future. They’re still clearly missing that franchise superstar, though.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>The Knicks are not in NBA purgatory as much as people say they are. This Knicks team will be better in three years than they are now if they do not make a single change, assuming the promising development continues. The oldest players in the rotation are 26-year-old Jalen Brunson and 28-year-old Julius Randle.</p>
<p>This all being said, it feels like the Knicks are that one superstar away from being a Finals contender. It’s all the team is really missing. And they have the assets to make a move for such a player.</p>
<p>This current Knicks roster is very good, but they are definitely not good enough to make it past the second round of the playoffs. The Knicks’ average age is 25 years old, counting Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier, both of whom are both soon to be traded. The idea of the Knicks blowing it up just doesn’t make a lot of sense with this young roster.</p>
<p>The Knicks almost made a major trade before the win streak began, but reportedly had a change of heart. <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/24/5-things-knicks-fans-should-put-on-their-christmas-list/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/20/knicks-rumors-raptors-trade-og-anunoby-winning-streak/">They looked specifically at OG Anunoby</a> before their win streak took serious hold. But Anunoby is not the superstar player I’m talking about — this team needs a Tier 1 talent.</p>
<p>There are no superstars currently available on the market, but every year or two, one will come up. The Knicks are in prime position to capitalize on that chance and make the team good enough to win a championship. At the end of the day, our dream gift for Knicksmas is to bring the Larry O’Brien trophy back to New York.</p>
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