The Knicks didn’t make the loudest noise this summer, but that may be exactly why they still look like the team to beat in the East.
While the rest of the NBA spent the offseason reshuffling rosters, New York mostly stood pat. The biggest change came with Mitchell Robinson walking and Andre Drummond arriving on a minimum deal.
That’s a downgrade on paper, no question. Still, there’s at least an argument that Drummond can give the Knicks a trimmed-down version of Robinson’s production at a fraction of the cost.
More importantly, New York kept the core together. Nine of the team’s top 10 players are back, and that matters after the way last season ended.
The Knicks won 53 games in the regular season, their most since 2012-13, but they never quite felt settled. One night they looked sharp, the next they were out of sync, and sometimes the swings came within the same game.
Then the playoffs hit, and everything snapped into focus.
Down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, the Knicks caught fire and never let go. They won 13 straight playoff games and went 15-1 on the way to the championship, setting the record for postseason point differential in the process. It was the kind of run that changes how a team is viewed - and maybe how it views itself.
A lot of that came down to roles finally making sense. Mike Brown got less on-ball work from Jalen Brunson, more hub action from Karl-Anthony Towns, and more touches for OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.
Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado also picked up more bench minutes. The defense tightened too, with all five players connected no matter who was on the floor.
Sure, there were hot shooting stretches mixed in - Bridges and Shamet had them in the Eastern Conference Finals - but the bigger story was cohesion. The Knicks had been waiting for it, and suddenly it was there.
That’s why this offseason felt less like a reset than a continuation. New York brought back key players on long, cap-friendly deals, and the expectation now is that the chemistry from the postseason carries into the regular season. Brown should have an easier time managing minutes and roles, and the Knicks look deep enough to go 10-deep without overworking their best players.
Drummond is the main new piece, and he’s expected to handle a significant backup role behind Towns. If his minutes stay modest, the Knicks believe he can hold things together.
The retention of players like Shamet and Alvarado also mattered. If they had left, replacing them with better options would have been a tough ask. Instead, New York kept them, along with Jordan Clarkson and Mohamed Diawara, and is betting that the growth shown in the postseason won’t stop there.
The target is clear: 55-plus wins and a top-two seed, barring major injuries.
The East may be deeper than it was early last season, but the Knicks still don’t face the same level of uncertainty as the teams around them. Detroit has added shooting and wing depth, but it also traded Isaiah Stewart, still hasn’t re-signed Jalen Duren, and hasn’t found a secondary creator to lighten Cade Cunningham’s load.
Boston has the pieces to pile up regular-season wins, and Robinson helps a shaky center group, but Jayson Tatum’s first full season back from his Achilles tear is an open question, and the Jaylen Brown-for-Paul George swap could sting in the playoffs. Philadelphia has an excellent top seven, but Joel Embiid’s health remains a constant issue and the depth is still shaky after last year’s playoff fade.
Indiana is deep and dangerous, though Tyrese Haliburton’s return from an Achilles tear will be watched closely, and the role players have to rediscover the form they showed in the 2025 playoffs. Cleveland has top-end talent too, but it didn’t push New York especially hard in the Eastern Conference Finals.
And beyond that group, it takes a leap to see Toronto, Atlanta, or Miami making a championship jump this quickly.
None of that means the Knicks can’t be beaten. The season is long, injuries happen, trades happen, and playoff matchups can turn on a single twist. But right now, New York is the team with the fewest obvious holes and the most reason to believe last spring was the start of something real.
In essence, the Knicks are running it back with a championship group and betting that one of the great playoff runs in NBA history was no fluke. In a conference full of questions, that’s a pretty strong place to be.
In Other News...
Knicks Still Have One Big Question Behind Towns And Drummond
The Knicks have already dealt with a notable shakeup in the middle, losing Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti from their championship group before turning to Andre Drummond on a one-year deal. That move gives New York a veteran body behind Karl-Anthony Towns, but it also leaves the front office still sorting out how much depth it wants to carry at center as the season approaches.
One possible answer is Trey Jemison III, who spent last season on a two-way deal and flashed enough defensive upside to stay on the radar. He played limited minutes, but his size, rim protection and rebounding fit the kind of insurance the Knicks could use if they want another big who can absorb regular-season minutes without forcing a larger role. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Suddenly Sit At Center Of Two Massive East Storylines
The East has spent the summer rearranging itself around a few heavyweight decisions, and Cleveland keeps showing up in the middle of the conversation. The Cavaliers are tied to one of the leagues biggest looming free-agent sagas, while Philadelphia has already made a splash under new team president Mike Gansey by swinging a major trade for Jaylen Brown, a move that instantly changes the look of the conference race.
There is also a more immediate concern closer to home for New York. Jalen Brunson recently revealed he played through a wrist injury during the Eastern Conference Finals and ultimately needed surgery, a reminder of how thin the margin can be in a playoff series that ends the season. With the Knicks still measuring themselves against the top of the East, Brunsons health looms as one of the quieter but most important storylines hanging over everything else. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Suddenly Face A Tough Choice They Did Not Expect
The Knicks offseason has already been busy enough with the usual free-agent housekeeping, but Jack Kayil has added a wrinkle they probably did not see coming. After sorting out a contract issue overseas and getting to the United States, the rookie has looked comfortable in Summer League, flashing enough skill to make himself part of a real roster conversation rather than just a developmental afterthought.
What makes it interesting for New York is the shape of the roster around him. Mitchell Robinson is gone, Ariel Hukporti is now in Boston and Andre Drummond arrived on a one-year veteran-minimum deal to help stabilize the middle, so the Knicks are not exactly short on questions at center. Kayils two-way upside and perimeter touch give the front office something to weigh against the safer path of adding more size, and the decision could say a lot about how aggressively the team wants to balance now and later. [Read more 🡒]