The season is right around the corner and the New York Knicks have opened with +40000 odds for the 2020-21 NBA Championship. The experts here at SportsTips have taken the time to review every single NBA team and offer up their opinion on how each team is expected to perform in the 2020-21 season, meaning you can place your best NBA bets with confidence.
So, without further ado, have a read on below at all our NBA betting stats and information on the New York Knicks:
New York Knicks’ 2019-20 Season Review
New York is in the middle of a rebuild and managed to draft RJ Barrett out of Duke University, pairing him with Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson to create a good young core for the future.
Barrett had somewhat of a disappointing season considering he was drafted at pick three in 2019, only averaging 14.3 points and 5 rebounds per game. Robinson is more of a defensive finisher and could only manage 9.7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.
New York finished the regular season with a 21-45 record, surprisingly 12th in the East. Their offensive rating was only good enough for 29th in the league with their defensive rating being marginally better, coming in at 22nd.
The Knicks managed to outperform the mark that sportsbooks thought of them, finishing 35-30-1 against the spread, 14th in the league! Their inability to play at a functional level of offense saw them rank 28th in totals betting, with a record of 30-34-1.
New York Knicks’ Offseason Changes
After entering the 2020 NBA draft with two first round picks, the New York Knicks selected Obi Toppin with pick eight and Immanuel Quickley with pick 25. The Toppin pick could end up being a steal at No. 8 when many had him projected higher.
Players In: Alec Burks, Jacob Evans, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Nerlens Noel, Immanuel Quickley, Austin Rivers, Omari Spellman, Obi Toppin
Players Out: Damyean Dotson, Wayne Ellington, Taj Gibson, Moe Harkless, Bobby Portis, Kenny Wooten
New Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau
New York Knicks’ 2020-21 Season Preview
Having completed another offseason without acquiring a marquee free agent, the Knicks are set for another season of pain in the Eastern Conference.
Aside from drafting Obi Toppin with the eighth pick and Immanuel Quickley with the 25th pick in the NBA draft, New York only managed to add Alec Burks, Austin Rivers, Nerlens Noel and returnee Elfrid Payton to their 2020/21 roster, leaving themselves with a team full of role players. One big change that has occurred for the Knicks this offseason is their new head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Having previously led much more talented rosters in Chicago (Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng) and Minnesota (Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins), Thibodeau will be entrusted with mentoring, challenging and developing this inexperienced Knicks team.
Whether Thibodeau is capable of getting the best out of this roster that is in desperate need of a franchise star is still unclear, but one thing is certain, the Knicks will once again be a team competing for pick one in the lottery as opposed to competing for a playoff spot.
Will the New York Knicks Make the Playoffs?
Currently with the longest odds in the East Conference to do so (+1400), the New York Knicks will not be a playoff team in 2021 and will likely not be a playoff team until they are capable of signing an elite free agent, a challenge that gets tougher with every year of failure. A likely 14th or 15th finish in the Eastern Conference.
New York Knicks’ Key Games
Mark your calendars. Knicks are back 🗓https://t.co/XelgSWbDe0 pic.twitter.com/UjLFNU2Uw7
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 4, 2020
December 23: @ Indiana Pacers: Season tipoff
December 26: vs Philadelphia 76’ers: Austin Rivers vs Doc Rivers / Divisional matchup
December 31: @ Toronto Raptors: Matchup against the 2019-20 Atlantic Division winners
January 13: vs Brooklyn Nets: KD and Kyrie chose Brooklyn over New York last summer.
January 17: @ Boston Celtics: Atlantic divisional matchup.
February 21: vs Minnesota Timberwolves: New head coach Tom Thibodeau first match against his former team
TBD: vs New Orleans Pelicans: RJ Barrett vs Zion Williamson
New York Knicks’ Betting Summary
Currently with the second worst odds to win the NBA Championship (+40000) and the worst odds to win the Eastern Conference (+20000), the New York Knicks are almost a certainty at -5000 to once again miss the playoffs.
With a total regular season wins line of 22.5, the Knicks have not improved their roster enough this offseason to warrant betting the over, especially given that they have failed to record 22+ wins in either of their past two seasons.
Not only that, but the Atlantic division has only gotten stronger, featuring four of the top six teams in the East (Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Toronto), which will make wins for New York harder to come by. Under 22.5 (-110) wins is the only logical bet for the Knicks.
Despite being taken with the eighth pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Obi Toppin has opened as the +450 equal second favourite to take out the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year award. Despite struggling defensively, Toppin averaged 20 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last season for Dayton while shooting 63 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range.
If Toppin can improve and contribute to the Knicks on the defensive end, Rookie of the Year honors could follow and the Knicks may have found a young offensive star to build around for the future. No pressure.
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of PointsBet.
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