A lot can change in 12 months.
This time last year, the Knicks finished their January schedule with 14 wins. This is the most in a month since March 1994 and one shy of the franchise record, but it was just two losses.
They snapped an eight-game winning streak and picked up their ninth win since the start of February.
The blockbuster that acquired OG Anunoby in late December didn't run into any roadblocks or growing pains until he injured his elbow.
But January 2025 wasn't that simple for the Knicks.
Friday's 126-101 loss to the Thunder marked their fourth loss this month, making their nine-game winning streak and 12-2 record since December a distant memory.
And while there are currently a lot of questions surrounding the Knicks' ability to continue winning against the NBA's best teams, they are currently the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and just ahead of the Magic on a winning percentage basis. The schedule with the Bucks is not that easy. — arrives at the Garden on Sunday.
“Last year was 2024,” Jalen Brunson said succinctly Friday about the difference in January. “This is 2025. Year difference.”
Last year, the Knicks' soft schedule in January helped with that tear.
Only five of those wins came against opponents who entered the game at or above .500, but three of those teams – the Timberwolves, 76ers and Nuggets – were labeled as favorites.
Even though Anunoby and Julius Randle were injured by the end of the month, the Knicks found a way to escape with a win and still had time to make some changes to their roster before the trade deadline.
But the Knicks hit a roadblock in the deciding months of last year's regular season and in time for next month's trade deadline after playing the majority of their 2024-25 schedule.
This January won't be a record-breaking month by any stretch of the imagination, but they have time to change that.
A win over the Bucks doesn't help their winless record against the NBA's top four teams. Knicks players reiterated that this is the tier they belong to, even though the outcome dictates it.
That will have to wait until late-season matchups against the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Rockets in February.
Still, one win could help him recoup his money this month.
“We've got to go out here and perform at a high level. We've got to go out here with energy. We've got to go out with no egos,” Josh Hart said Friday. “We have to go out there without a separate agenda. We have to go out there and make sacrifices.
“We're a new group. We're still learning and figuring it out, but you can't just go out there and expect to win games just because you're talented.”
Before Dec. 27, the Knicks had fewer than 20 assists in a game just once this season — Game 2 against the Pacers on Oct. 25, when all the pieces of the team hadn't yet clicked. It's time.
But the Knicks, who had just 18 assists in Friday's loss, have not reached 20 assists in three of their past nine games.
