Why ‘rest advantage’ could be Knicks 2023-24 schedule worry

The NBA schedule-makers didn’t do the Knicks any favors.

No, this isn’t about how many back-to-backs or lengthy road trips they have.

It’s about something much more subtle.

It’s called “rest advantage,” something that teams have begun to monitor in recent years.

For next season’s slate, the Knicks have just eight games in which they will be more rested than the opponent, tied for the fifth-fewest in the league.

Only the Rockets (five), Warriors, Pistons (six each) and Lakers (seven) have fewer.

The Celtics, by contrast, lead the league with a rest advantage in 16 games, and the Nets have 14 games in which they will be more rested than the opposition.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau touched on the subject from time to time last season, in particular when discussing the schedule. It’s not always who you play, he liked to say, but when you play them.

Though the Knicks are young — there isn’t a single player of significance on the roster who is 30 years of age or older — Thibodeau’s inclination to stick with a nine-man rotation could make that rest disadvantage more significant.

This isn’t new, either. Last season, the Knicks were tied with the Hornets for the fewest rest-advantage games in the league with five.

Expect Thibodeau to harp on this subject this coming season.

Rest advantage was one thing that stood out in the 2023-24 schedule. A few other thoughts below:

Difficult start

Eight of the Knicks’ first 11 games are against teams that reached the postseason last season. That includes two with the Cavaliers, their first-round playoff opponent, two against the contending Celtics (including opening night) and one with the powerhouse Bucks. Six are on the road and there are three sets of back-to-backs. Not easy at all.

A slow start is possible, similar to last year, when the Knicks were 10-13 through 23 games.

December on the road

The Knicks will play nine of 12 December games on the road, highlighted by a five-game, four-city trip that starts in Utah, goes to Phoenix and Los Angeles and finishes in Brooklyn.

Then they get consecutive home games with the Bucks, followed by three more games away against the Thunder, Magic and Pacers. Thibodeau’s crew will be racking up the frequent flier mileage.

Light second half

It’s pretty clear the toughest part of the Knicks’ schedule is the first half. They will play eight of their 12 back-to-backs in their opening 36 games. January and February will…