Caris LeVert Kurt Thomas
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The Brooklyn Nets 2018-19 NBA run helped YES Network see a significant jump in ratings while MSG Network took an opposite turn.

According to The Sports Business Journal, the YES Network, which broadcasts the Brooklyn Nets, saw a 22% viewership increase from the 2017-18 season to this year.

However, the MSG Network, which broadcasts the New York Knicks, saw a 38% decrease in viewership from last season to now.

While the Nets still sport the worst viewership in the league, the jump is both promising and unsurprising.

Brooklyn made the playoffs for the first time since the 2014-15 season and are finally showing some promise for the future. The team has plenty of money to play around with this summer and D’Angelo Russell has proven to be a reliable first option as well as a leader in the locker room.

Along with many other young, developing stars, the franchise has finally found a great coach in Kenny Atkinson that seems poised to lead the organization for years to come. So assuming Brooklyn is able to stay mostly healthy next season and possibly even acquire an all-star level free agent this summer, we can expect them to quickly climb out of the leagues worst in terms of ratings.

As for the Knicks, the colossal drop was expected. the Franchise was blatantly tanking to increase their chances at the number one overall pick which would consequentially lead to them selecting Zion Williamson.

Although most are very against the strategy, I’m fine with it. The roster was never going to be good enough to compete for a playoff spot anyway. So why not clear cap space, play a bunch of young guys, see what you have, take the high draft pick, and compete in free agency?

The only chance the ratings had of not dropping was if Kevin Knox or Mitchell Robinson was tearing the league up. And although Robinson played great down the stretch, Knox had some typical rookie struggles.

But at the end of the day, even if the Knicks strike out on free agency, as long as they draft a top prospect (such as Zion Williamson) the ratings will once again flourish.