Knicks Peripheral #1: New Threats

Welcome to Knicks Peripheral, where we survey the league from an orange and blue point of view. Who’s hot? Who’s not? How do the Knicks compare? Let’s find out.

New Threats in the East

The Cleveland Cavaliers, under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, are a perfect 14-0 to start the season. What has been a little brother team the last few years won’t take the Knicks’ bullying anymore. The Knicks lost a winable game to the Cavs on October 28, but Cleveland’s for real. They didn’t make major offseason moves: what changed?

Darius Garland (21.1 points on 53.1/45.8/91.4 splits) has returned to form after a broken jaw threw him off rhythm last year. Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen have been themselves. Caris LeVert and New York legend Ty Jerome have held down the bench. And fourth-year player Evan Mobley (17.8 points) has taken another leap in offensive aggression to couple with his all-world defense.

Paolo Banchero (29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists) was dominant to begin the year before suffering a torn right oblique. But he will return at some point, and the young Orlando Magic, currently third in the East, can compete with anyone with their defensive prowess (ranked second with a 111.3 defensive rating, per StatMuse).

Franz Wagner (22.2 points) has looked like an All-Star in Banchero’s absence. And once newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope regains his shooting touch (23.4% from three), the spacing will improve, and the team’s ceiling will fly open at full strength.