3 New York Knicks the Cleveland Cavaliers have to prep for

The Cleveland Cavaliers host the New York Knicks on Sunday night.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 4-1 after taking down the Boston Celtics in overtime on Friday night. The team’s defeat of the Celtics, and their late-game comeback to do so, help really cement the team as a real contender, even if they have a few things still to work out.

The Cavs are rolling, however. No matter what, this team is an Eastern Conference contender today, as long as they remain healthy. Through the first few games, Jarrett Allen is the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year, and Donovan Mitchell is making an early case for league MVP.

The Celtics were tough tasks but they aren’t the only ones to worry about. The New York Knicks have next and they are a scrappy team. They bottomed out in 2021 due to poor play and RJ Barrett is proving he’s not a reliable number-one option. They’ve also only beaten subpar teams so far to earn their 3-2 record. The Cavs on the other hand have beaten two of the top teams in the East already.

The Knicks are an interesting quagmire. Their best player is a guy no one wants (Julius Randle) and their second-best player is Luka Doncic’s backup, who has never been the guy before. What are the Knicks? Well, we’ll find out on Sunday night, but before then, let’s talk about the three players the Cavs have to keep an eye on.

Three New York Knicks to keep an eye on

Obi Toppin

Obi Toppin is rather disappointing on one hand, as many pegged him to be a game-changer coming out of college with his Blake Griffin-like game. He hasn’t been that guy and in year three he’s only averaging 15 minutes a game (at 24 years old). Toppin, however, can make teams hurt in the limited time he’s on the court. He’s not much for out-of-the-paint scoring, but with Evan Mobley’s peculiar defense so far through 2022-2023, Toppin may be able to hurt the Cavs inside unlike in past seasons.

Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson served as Doncic’s backup and got paid a huge amount of money to come to New York, never mind those pesky tampering accusations. Brunson has performed well. $26 million a year well? No. What Brunson has done is give the Knicks an efficient scorer on all three levels and at the free-throw line. So even if he’s 20 points or below that, the Knicks got a decent player. Overpaid, sure, but a decent player. Keeping Brunson out of the paint is going to be key. He takes 73% of his shots from inside the arc, with 50% coming from within 10 feet of the basket. Keeping him out of the paint is key.

Derrick Rose

This may surprise some, but Derrick Rose, like Toppin, is making the most of the time he’s given. If Rose gets a hot hand and the Knicks don’t run with him, that’d be a mistake. Granted at 34, he’s closer to the end of his career than anything else, he’s third on the team in true shooting, and the Cavs’ second team has proven to be beatable defensively. if Rose gets his 15 minutes, he can make the Cavs hurt still.