By the numbers, the 2022-23 Knicks are an incredibly average NBA team

The 2022-23 New York Knicks are a very average NBA team.

That sounds like an opinion — a correct opinion, perhaps, but still an opinion. Yes, they are currently 5-5 on the season, but sometimes early-season records can be deceiving.

Ah, but a mere 5-5 record doesn’t even begin to tell the story of the Knicks’ averageness. Check their Basketball-Reference page, and you will find a team so average, it almost defies belief. Unlike previous seasons, when their defense tended to outperform their offense, the 2022-23 Knicks are mediocre on both sides of the ball:

• 111.8 O-rating (16th in the NBA)
• 111.8 D-rating (16th in the NBA)

That adds up to an overall net rating of 0.0, which ranks 15th in the NBA. In fact, the Knicks have scored 1,150 points and allowed 1,150 points this season. If you check B-Ref’s SRS rating, which factors in strength of schedule and net rating, the Knicks rank — you guessed it — 15th in the NBA.

Their averageness reveals itself in other ways. The Knicks are currently:

• 4-4 against the Eastern Conference
• 1-1 against the Western Conference
• 1-1 against the Atlantic Division

Their record in October: 3-3. Their record so far in November: 2-2.

What does this mean for the Knicks moving forward? I have no idea. But let us celebrate the incredible balance they have achieved thus far. They are the Even Stevens of the basketball world.