It is never too early to look ahead to the best time of the year: the NBA playoffs.
The Toronto Raptors are poised to make their first postseason appearance since losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. If Raptors fans want this run to last, they should be hoping to avoid the New York Knicks for as long as possible.
The Knicks represent a different team-building style
The Toronto front office has, over the years, famously targeted rangy athletic wings to build its roster. This approach has made Toronto more athletic and versatile, but issues with point-of-attack defense rebounding and shot creation remain to this day.
New York signed point guard Jalen Brunson and swung a trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. They have strong wing players in Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart, but the team's success will depend on its two best players, Brunson and Towns.
Toronto’s approach to building its team has resulted in a group that is balanced on both ends of the floor. Scottie Barnes is the team’s best player, but scoring, playmaking, and defensive responsibility are shared across the roster. New York, on the other hand, relies heavily on Towns and Brunson to carry the offensive load, particularly Brunson. Neither philosophy is inherently better, but it creates a stark difference in styles between these teams.
Raptors fans should avoid looking at recent history
This difference in team-building means that Toronto’s general flaws are mostly exploited by New York’s best players.
Toronto does not have anyone quite small and quick enough to consistently stay in front of Brunson. That is a big reason why, on December 9th, when the Knicks faced the Raptors in the NBA Cup playoffs, Brunson torched Toronto with a 35-point performance. Ultimately, the Raptors lost that game by 16 points. Of the three games Toronto has played against the Knicks this season, that 16-point loss was the closest contest.
The most recent game between these two teams came on January 28th. Brunson and Towns were both kept in check as scorers, finishing with a combined 21 points. However, that doesn’t mean they lacked an impact — Towns grabbed 22 rebounds against smaller matchups. New York ultimately won that game by 27 points.
The Raptors’ lack of success against the Knicks is nothing new. Since these two teams traded OG Anunoby, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley, they have faced off on nine separate occasions.
What is the solution?
The New York Knicks are far from an unsolvable juggernaut. They’re tough, but a playoff matchup should not necessarily cause panic among Raptors fans. New York has vulnerabilities that have shown up in past postseasons.
Their most significant weakness is defensive consistency. While the Knicks rank among the league leaders in points allowed per game, playoff basketball is different. Over a seven-game series, weaknesses are hunted relentlessly. And New York’s two best players, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, are also two of their weakest defenders.
If these teams meet, Toronto must involve them in action repeatedly. Pick-and-rolls featuring Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl should be staples. Isolation sets designed to force Brunson or Towns into space are another option.
In past meetings, Toronto has not executed this strategy effectively, and the results have been lopsided. A postseason matchup would leave no room for those same mistakes.