A year ago today, the Knicks were in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, arguably the high-water mark of their regular season.

Karl-Anthony Towns, in particular, was humming.

The franchise felt good about swapping out Julius Randle, and trusty Tom Thibodeau was on the sideline doing Thibodeau things — winning, grunting at officials, leaning into a system and lineup that reliably produced, especially against mid- to lower-tier opponents.

Yet, when we compare the Knicks from pre-Christmas in 2024 to today in 2025, there’s a higher ceiling to the current version.