The Knicks walked into their 2026 media day as champions, and Jalen Brunson wasted no time setting the tone: he’s confident in the group, but he’s keeping a close eye on Josh Hart.
With New York fresh off its first title since 1973, Brunson was asked how the team will handle all the attention that comes with success. His answer came with a grin and a punchline.
"I have the utmost faith in these guys. I don't know about Josh, we'll see how he acts.”
The line landed the way Brunson probably expected it to: the room cracked up. It was classic back-and-forth from two players whose friendship goes way beyond the NBA. Brunson and Hart go back to their Villanova days, when they won the 2016 national title together, and now they’re still side by side as co-hosts of the Roommates Show podcast with Matt Hillman.
That chemistry has carried into the playoffs and beyond. After Hart put up a playoff career-high 26 points against Cleveland in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Brunson told reporters he wasn’t even looking for him on the floor, saying Hart "just happens to be open." He later gave Hart his flowers, praising the work he puts in after practice and the relentless edge he brings every day.
Hart’s numbers told the story of a player who kept doing the dirty work all season long. He averaged 12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 50.8% across 66 regular-season games.
In 19 playoff games, his scoring slipped to 10.4 points, his assists to 4.6, but his rebounding climbed to 8.9 per game. He also helped close out the NBA Finals in San Antonio, finishing the final game with 13 points and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes.
Karl-Anthony Towns also made sure Hart got his due during the Finals, calling him the team's "dog" and pointing to how hard he plays. And Hart kept the jokes rolling just two days before media day, joining Brunson on stage during the guard’s hosting debut on Saturday Night Live. Hart said Brunson did fine, but he does not have a future in acting.
Brunson’s SNL run came on the Season 52 premiere on Sept. 26, and the show opened with an audience Q&A that included Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Hart. But on Monday, Brunson admitted he still hadn’t really sat down with the episode. When asked for his favorite sketch, he kept it short.
"Ask me in like a week, I still haven't really watched it."
The Knicks will get back to business on Oct. 20, when they open the 2026-27 season against the Philadelphia 76ers. That game will bring New York’s championship banner-raising ceremony and LeBron James’ first official game in a Sixers uniform.
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