Jalen Brunson is not interested in letting the Knicks drift into the comfort zone that usually follows a title.
That message came through loud and clear when Brunson appeared on the Road Trippin’ podcast and talked with Kendrick Perkins about what comes next after winning it all. His answer was blunt about the mindset New York needs to carry into the new season:
“It’s important for us to come into this season to be like, ‘Alright, that’s over with.’ We don’t want to speak of the trophy, we don’t want to think about the trophy, we don’t want to see the trophy.
We want to come in with the same mindset, if not a tougher mindset than we had… We’re getting to that point where we’re saying the right things, and now it's time that once we get there, can we do the right things? It’s all about our actions, but it ain’t going to be easy.”
That’s the kind of quote that sounds good in July. What matters is whether the leader behind it has already backed it up. In Brunson’s case, he has.
The Knicks enter the season as defending champions, fresh off their first title in 53 years, but they are not the favorites to do it again. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have shorter odds, and some sportsbooks also have the Philadelphia 76ers ahead of New York.
And the road back is brutal. The last NBA team to win back-to-back titles was the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. From 2019 through 2025, no champion even got back to the Finals the next year.
That’s the mountain New York is staring at now, and Brunson has already made at least one major sacrifice to help keep the team in position to climb it. In the 2024 offseason, he signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension with the Knicks. Had he waited one more year, he could have landed a five-year, $269 million deal instead.
Then there’s what he did in the playoffs. Brunson played through a wrist injury on his shooting hand, and that injury required offseason surgery. It was another reminder that his words about team-first commitment aren’t just for show.
The challenge ahead is real, especially with the Eastern Conference described as being as loaded as it has been in decades. The Thunder and Spurs are both young enough to be looming threats for years.
Brunson’s point is simple: saying the right things is only the beginning. The Knicks now have to prove it again, and their captain has already shown he’s willing to put the team before himself to make that happen.
And if Brunson knows anything about chasing another championship, it’s that winning two is better than one. He learned that at Villanova.
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