NBA Media Day didn’t just give the Knicks a chance to talk about their own plans for the season. It also showed how the rest of the league is looking at New York now.
The message coming from around the NBA was hard to miss: the Knicks are the team everybody wants to chase.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama made that clear when he spoke to reporters on Monday. He said the Finals loss is still “haunting” him, and added, “I couldn't imagine a better motivation” for the season ahead than losing to the Knicks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was just as direct, calling New York the league’s top team while still backing his Heat to make a run at them.
"Right now, the best team in the NBA is the New York Knicks. ... If we do our job, we'll see." -- Giannis.
RJ Barrett, now with the Raptors, also had the Knicks on his mind after their title win in June. He said he still feels connected to the organization and admitted the championship has pushed him in his new spot, especially now that Kawhi Leonard is back in the fold and strengthening Toronto’s hopes.
RJ Barrett on his former team New York Knicks winning the championship and if he got any motivation after seeing them win:“I still have a lot of friends over there. I was happy for them.”“
I got drafted there. The team was horrible.
I been to the playoffs twice over there.… https://t.co/p49XLVI9vc pic.twitter.com/oSpJeyffNG
LeBron James added one more shot across the bow with a line that made his intent pretty obvious.
LeBron "I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round, I know that"
Put all of that together, and the picture is clear: New York is no longer being treated like just another defending champ. Around the league, teams are using the Knicks as motivation, measuring stick and target all at once.
That’s a different kind of pressure, but it’s pressure the Knicks have to expect now. Their title run has made them the team everybody wants to test, and every opponent is likely to treat the matchup like a statement game.
That means tougher game plans, more focused scouting and front offices doing whatever they can to close the gap on Leon Rose’s roster. It also means New York won’t get many favors this season, whether that’s in trade talks or on the floor.
The burden now falls on Rose, Mike Brown and the rest of the group to handle it. Rose will need to keep working the roster if any weak spots show up. Brown has to build on what he did in the Finals, and the players have to embrace the fact that everyone is coming at them.
There are encouraging signs already. Brown’s previous experience with a repeat-minded Warriors group as an assistant should help, and the early comments from players point to a team that still wants more instead of resting on what it already accomplished. Rose is also continuing to explore the center position to improve the depth there.
The challenge is obvious: a familiar roster can drift toward complacency. But the Knicks’ leadership is sending the right signals, and defending a title could bring even more out of a group that already looks loaded.
In Other News...
Jalen Brunsons Next Knicks Deal Could Change Everything Around Him
Jalen Brunson has already shown where his priorities sat when he signed his four-year, $156.5 million extension in 2024, taking less than he could have gotten to give the Knicks room to build a roster that could chase a title. It worked. New York went on to win the NBA championship, and Brunson was named Finals MVP, a fitting payoff for a point guard who put team success ahead of maximizing his own payday.
Now the next chapter could reshape the economics around him all over again. Fred Katz of The Athletic projects Brunson to land a four-year, $290 million extension that would begin in the 2028-29 season, a jump that would take his salary into a completely different tier and change the way the Knicks have to think about the core they are building. For a franchise that already benefited from Brunsons sacrifice, the looming question is how much flexibility remains when his next deal arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Kolek Is Handling A Tough Knicks Reality The Right Way
Tyler Kolek has spent much of his early Knicks run in a familiar NBA holding pattern: waiting for a real opening while trying to make the most of the minutes he gets. The third-year point guard has kept the right attitude through that uncertainty, talking about the need for consistency, confidence and aggression in his own game while also showing the kind of perspective that comes from sharing a backcourt with Jalen Brunson.
For a young player, that can be a tricky spot to navigate, especially when the rotation is crowded and the outside noise never really stops. Kolek has handled it by staying focused on improvement instead of dwelling on the frustration, but his role in New York still feels unsettled, and his next chance to build momentum may come only if the situation around him changes. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face One Clear Roster Choice As Camp Battle Looms
The Knicks still have two open roster spots as camp approaches, but the path to filling them is not nearly as simple as it looks on paper. With limited flexibility, the front office appears to be leaning toward adding a younger big man, with several options in the 25-to-29 age range under consideration as the team continues to shape the back end of the roster.
There is also the matter of how much room can be created if the Knicks want to do more than one addition before camp truly settles in. Final roster decisions could end up hinging on trades and what the coaching staff values most, which leaves the next move tied as much to fit as to availability. Pacme Dadiet has reportedly been shopped in that mix, a sign the Knicks are still trying to balance present need with a little extra roster flexibility. [Read more 🡒]