The Knicks have come a looong way in the past 365 days — much to the Toronto Raptors’ chagrin

Where were you a year ago? The Knicks were a losing team who’d just been embarrassed at home by Dallas, including staring at the business end of a 41-15 third quarter whupping. Two different Mavs single-handedly outscored the Knicks in the frame. The season as a whole wasn’t much prettier. Immanuel Quickley was barely shooting 40% from the field. Isaiah Hartenstein was nearly as disappointing as every NYC mayor ever. A losing 2021-22 looked to be collapsing into an even more disappointing 2022-23. The voices calling for Tom Thibodeau to be fired swelled from whispers to wailing. Thibs himself reportedly expected a pink slip.

In the year since, the Knicks are 49-29 in the regular season and impressed over two playoff rounds. Last night they won 119-106 in Toronto, their 10th win in 13 games. Julius Randle, the very incarnation of “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up,” picked up his teammates with 20, 10 and nine assists. Par for the recent course for a man the faithless were only weeks ago crying to trade for Tobias Harris or Zach LaVine.

Joining JR in the sturm und drang gang is Quickley, who’s followed last season’s strong finish with play this season that’s going to net him $30M annually from whoever signs him to a new deal. A conversation is coming due about what the Knicks should prioritize concerning IQ. In summary: here we have a player the Knicks drafted who has been a fan favorite since literally his first preseason game at MSG and who, since then, has shown nothing but growth, faith, resilience and two-way talent. He might be Sixth man of the Year someday. Might be All-Defense. Might be an All-Star. He could (should?) be a starter; the fan base’s blood pressure drops when he’s out there closing. Last night Quickley was sixth on the Knicks in points, but first in plus-minus. He doesn’t turn 25 until the summer. We sure we wanna trade him away for a couple years of Joel Embiid’s career back-nine?  

Hartenstein’s resurrection is a miracle that puts Lazarus to shame. On a night Mitchell Robinson was unusually quiet, statistically, New Yorks’ backup big continued to show how far he’s come since beginning his pro career in Quakenbrück, Germany. Last night Hartenstein grabbed eight rebounds in 16 minutes. I’m not sure which is the bigger deal: that you can bench Mitch without missing a beat on the glass, that you can bench him for a guy who offers such a complementary skill set on the offensive end, or that you can bench Mitch for a someone good enough to start who’s also a good enough teammate to be cool playing <20 minutes a night.

And Thibodeau? Short of a cataclysmic downturn, next year he’ll be just the fourth Knicks coach ever (and the first hired under James Dolan) to last 5+ seasons, joining Joe Lapchick, Red Holzman, Hubie Brown and Jeff Van Gundy. Sometimes it takes years for a talented player to find the place that allows their best self to flourish. Lots of analysts can give you more concrete evidence of how Thibs has evolved since leading the Good Ship Knicks. My excitement originates here: that this is a man who came to New York reputed to be intransigent – he doesn’t play young players; he burns out his starters; he only cares about defense; he doesn’t adjust. Today the Knicks are 11th in offensive rating, fourth in defensive rating and sixth overall, with a regular rotation whose majority is made up of players 25 and under.

Where were you a year ago? Josh Hart was in Portland and Donte DiVincenzo in Golden State. Last night they combined to make 10 threes on 13 tries, scoring 38 points on just 21 shots. DiVincenzo didn’t make more than three threes in any of the Knicks’ first 11 games; in the past eight, he’s done so four times. Hart’s season-high scoring the first 16 games was 16; he’s scored 17 two of the past three, highlighted by the final five minutes of last night’s third quarter, when he personally outscored the Raptors 15-12. Hart’s return to form couldn’t come at a better time, what with RJ Barrett back on Mike Breen’s “struggle bus.”

A year ago, Scottie Barnes memorably and dickishly made a point to tell Quentin Grimes “You’re not ‘Him.’” Last night Barnes poured in 29 in a losing effort for a losing team that seems dead-set on losing its best players for nothing in free agency. Kawhi Leonard left after the 2019 championship, and okay, fine, he never asked to go to Toronto in the first place; he was traded. Made all the sense in the world for the Raptors to bet it all on one year with Leonard. Since then? Fred VanVleet left for Houston with no return. Pascal Siakam will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, as will Gary Trent Jr. OG Anunoby is a lock to decline his player option and enter unrestricted free agency, too. And while Masai Ujiri is always quick on the trigger when it comes to launching insults at other franchises, not so much, apparently, when it comes to getting his own house in order.

Maybe Barnes grows frustrated with the Raptors. They were nearly a 50-win team his rookie year before falling to .500 last year and now face the low ceiling of a play-in team. Maybe sooner than later, he asks out. He’s only under contract through next season. Things can change a lot in 12 months. Grimes is struggling individually this season, yet his team continues its ascension. Barnes is having his best year, yet his team continues its descent. Maybe Barnes ends up somewhere stateside. Maybe he turns out to be “him.” But the fact that we’re all the way done recapping a win in a year the Knicks are on pace to win 50 games without mentioning that — despite playing in a division with three of the NBA’s six teams with a points per game difference of +5 or better (the Knicks being one of those teams) — and without once mentioning Jalen Brunson, the clear and present “him” on either team, goes to show how quickly things can change. Sometimes even for the better.