INDIANAPOLIS—The Knicks’ 2015-16 season, which ended with a loss to the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night, was strange for a handful of reasons.

Devoid of context—say, a person on a six-month purge of television and Internet—it might seem fair to say that this season represented a decent step forward for the Knicks, who came close to doubling last season’s franchise-worst win total of 17.

But...