The Knicks’ 0-3 start has opened the door to plenty of early judgment, and a lot of that has landed on the players themselves. Three games in, some guys have done enough to help their case. Others have only raised more questions.
Start with Jalen Brunson, because the bar around him is sky-high now. He’s long since earned the trust of this franchise, but this opening week has been rough by his standards.
Brunson is averaging 22.7 points per game, which would be his lowest mark since arriving in New York in 2022. The efficiency has been off too: 39.1% from the field, 26.7% from three and 70% at the line.
The bigger concern may be the playmaking. A player who usually keeps the offense humming while protecting the ball is averaging just 3.7 assists and a career-high 2.7 turnovers per game.
He’s almost certain to settle in, but this has been an unusually shaky beginning for the captain.
While Brunson has stumbled, Karl-Anthony Towns has been the steadiest presence on the roster. He started with foul trouble on opening night, but he finished strong and has rolled that into the next two games.
Towns is the only Knick who has looked good in all three contests, putting up 21 points, 12 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He’s doing it while shooting 62.2% from the field and 45.5% from deep.
The turnovers and oddly low free throw rate have shown up, but he’s still been New York’s most consistent and productive player, all while navigating a very public extension negotiation.
OG Anunoby has quietly put together a strong start as well. Even with some shooting struggles, he’s averaging 17.3 points per game, and the biggest reason is simple: he’s getting to the line.
On a roster that already features Brunson and Towns, Anunoby actually leads the team in free throw attempts per game. His previous career high was 3.3 attempts a night; through three games he’s at 7.3.
That number won’t stay there, but it gives him a runway, especially once the shot normalizes. He’s also seeing more on-ball work and is averaging 3.3 assists, just 0.4 behind the team lead.
He hasn’t quite matched Towns for consistency, but he’s not far off from being New York’s second-best player so far.
Mikal Bridges is a different story. A lot of people thought a championship would loosen things up for him, take the pressure off, and unlock a more confident version of his game.
That hasn’t happened yet. He’s still showing the same hesitancy and passive stretches, and when he does look to score, the results have mostly been disappointing.
He’s shooting just 28.6% from three, and the defense has been a little below his usual standard. That said, it’s hard to imagine a career 37.6% three-point shooter staying down there for long.
If the shot comes around, the rest of the league will notice fast.
Landry Shamet came into the 2026-27 season with real momentum after a strong regular season and a postseason full of timely baskets. He even looked ready to keep that going in preseason.
But the first three games have been a letdown. Shamet is shooting 36.8% from the field and 35.7% from three, while averaging only 6.3 points per game.
He’s still competing on defense and has hit some important threes, but there just hasn’t been enough offense to make a real impact.
Miles McBride’s situation is trickier. He’s dealt with a rough playoff stretch, trade speculation and the uncertainty that comes with being on an expiring contract.
Now he’s in what looks like his final season in New York, and he’s already seen his minutes shrink in two of the Knicks’ first three games. The production itself hasn’t been bad - he turned in a strong performance against the Celtics and is shooting 46.7% from the field and 58.3% from three - but the reduced role is doing damage to his stock.
He may not be playing poorly, but the direction of the usage is hard to ignore.
Jose Alvarado has had a similar issue, only with a little more fluctuation in his actual play. He was supposed to have a meaningful role, but in the two games he’s appeared in, he’s averaging 13.5 minutes, nearly 3.5 fewer than he averaged during his time as a Knick last season.
He was solid on opening night and less effective against the Celtics. There’s no reason to think he can’t stabilize, but Tyler Kolek’s encouraging debut and Alvarado’s recent missed time have put him under some pressure.
Mohamed Diawara is the opposite case: expected to be in the picture, but not seen at all. Through three games, he hasn’t played a single second. For a player the Knicks seemed to value highly during the offseason, that’s a pretty strange turn.
Then there’s Tyler Kolek, who looked like a trade candidate not long ago. He had been stuck behind Brunson and Alvarado, and his preseason didn’t do much to change that view.
The shot was inconsistent, and the defense had issues. But with Alvarado out against the Magic on Sunday night, Kolek got his chance and gave the offense a different feel.
The third-year guard brought pace, ball movement and energy to a group that badly needed it. It’s hard to say where things go once Alvarado returns, but Kolek has done enough to at least force his way into the rotation conversation.
For a player who had looked buried, that’s a meaningful step forward.
In Other News...
Knicks Just Got Pulled Into A Wild Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Idea
Miamis strange start has already turned the East into an early-season rumor mill, and the ripple effect could eventually reach New York. After the Heat opened 0-4 following their blockbuster deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, analysts immediately began questioning how Antetokounmpo would fit alongside Bam Adebayo, a pairing that has not exactly looked seamless out of the gate.
That uncertainty has pushed one hypothetical back onto the board: a trade idea sending Adebayo and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns. Nothing has been confirmed on Miamis side, and the Heat may simply decide to let the new group breathe and build chemistry, but the mere fact that Towns is now part of the speculation says plenty about how quickly the season can turn. For New York, it is another reminder that a frontcourt storyline can shift fast when a rival is already under pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Trade Chatter Around KAT Just Got Much Louder
The early-season wobble around Karl-Anthony Towns has only added more fuel to the Knicks rumor mill, and now the conversation has gotten a lot bigger than one slow start. Former NBA player Matt Barnes floated a blockbuster scenario involving Towns and Giannis Antetokounmpo, connecting the idea to Miamis rough opening stretch and the fact that New York still has not reached an extension agreement with Towns.
It remains purely hypothetical, with no sign either side has actually engaged in trade talks, but that is the kind of chatter that tends to linger when two high-profile teams are both trying to stabilize. For the Knicks, the uncertainty around Towns future is already a storyline; throwing Antetokounmpo into the mix only sharpens the questions about where this team is headed and how long the current core might stay intact. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks White House Debate Just Put James Dolan In The Spotlight
The Knicks championship celebration has already run into an unexpected off-court question, with talk swirling around whether the team will make the traditional White House visit. Stephen A. Smith brought the issue into the open by discussing the possibility that some players may not be eager to go, and he noted that owner James Dolan is reportedly not pleased with the situation. Smith also said he has not confirmed those reports directly with players, but the conversation has quickly become part of the backdrop to a title that should have been all joy.
Dolans reported reaction has only added another layer, especially given his well-known friendship with Donald Trump and the idea that he may want the visit to happen. Jalen Brunson had already signaled that the decision would be made by the team, which leaves the matter in a familiar place for a championship group trying to manage both celebration and politics. For now, the interest is less about what the Knicks did on the court than about who gets to decide what comes next off it. [Read more 🡒]