The Knicks are heading into a new season with the kind of spotlight most teams only dream about. They won the championship in dramatic fashion, and now the real challenge begins: proving that last year wasn’t a one-off.
With the 2026-27 campaign just under a month away, the big question isn’t whether New York has talent. It’s how each starter answers the pressure that comes with defending the crown.
At the center of it all is Jalen Brunson. He’s still the engine, still the scorer who can take over with the ball in his hands.
But one of the clearest keys to the Knicks’ title run was how often they leaned into Karl-Anthony Towns in the Hawks series and how well the offense kept flowing after that. Towns’ playmaking, plus the cutting from OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, made the whole thing work.
Brunson’s willingness to be just as dangerous away from the ball was a major reason it clicked.
That makes the next step pretty obvious. Brunson doesn’t need to stop being Brunson.
He does need to keep expanding the offense by embracing more time off the ball, because that could open the door for Towns, Anunoby, and Bridges to keep thriving the way they did in the postseason. If he does that, the Knicks’ ceiling rises with him.
Hart presents a different kind of puzzle. You know exactly what he brings: elite rebounding for his position, connective passing, secondary ball handling, smart cuts, and a knack for turning loose balls into New York possessions.
But his shooting can swing his entire value. When the jumper disappears, or when he starts passing up looks, teams can even stick a center on him and blunt a lot of what the Knicks want to do.
Hart shot 31% and 33% from three in the two seasons before last year, then jumped to 41.3% from deep in the regular season. In the playoffs, though, that number fell back to 32.6%.
If he can keep the efficiency and take more threes, the offense could become overwhelming. If not, the old version of the problem could return just as quickly.
He remains important, but with the Knicks’ depth at shooting guard and his upcoming extension, how he shoots the ball this season could shape both rotation choices and contract talks.
Bridges is carrying a different kind of baggage. He never asked to be traded, much less to a crosstown rival for five first-round picks.
That was Leon Rose’s decision, but Bridges was the one who had to live with the jokes when things got rocky. Knicks fans made sure the trade never disappeared from the conversation whenever he struggled, and it was hard to miss how much that seemed to weigh on him.
The championship appeared to change that. Bridges looked looser afterward, smiling more, jumping on an impromptu Instagram Live, and spending much of the offseason looking happier and more settled.
The regular season will bring the usual New York pressure, but the hope is that the title frees him up. If he feels less like he has to justify the deal, he can play with more freedom and aggression.
Anunoby is another starter whose next step feels close. He’s long been known as one of the league’s best 3-and-D wings, but last season he showed more.
He attacked offensively with more confidence and created more of his own looks, which pushed the conversation beyond role player status. The postseason sample was too small to settle it completely, but if he keeps that same edge this year, he can make a real case as a legitimate two-way star and maybe even earn his first All-Star nod.
Then there’s Towns, who drew plenty of criticism during the regular season. His scoring dipped, his shot volume fell, his three-point percentage slid, and foul trouble kept feeding the frustration.
The debate around him was constant. But in the playoffs, that noise disappeared.
By the time the Knicks were lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy, Towns had become one of the most valuable players in the league.
He didn’t just hold steady; he elevated everything around him. His defense reached a level that went from good to legitimately elite.
His passing at the position was second only to Nikola Jokic, and the efficiency with which he scored stood out even with the raw point totals down. If Towns can give New York even 90% of that version again, the Knicks should be right back among the league’s elite.
In Other News...
Knicks Fans Should Be Watching Detroits Jalen Duren Drama Closely
Jalen Durens contract situation has become one of the more interesting offseason storylines in the East, and it is the kind of thing Knicks fans should keep an eye on even if it is not happening in New York. Detroit has reportedly put a five-year, $200 million offer on the table, but the discussion has not moved to the finish line yet, leaving one of the Pistons most important young players at the center of a tense waiting game.
If Duren remains unsigned, the ripple effects could reach well beyond one roster. The Pistons would be forced to navigate a major uncertainty around a key piece, and any delay could open the door to sign-and-trade possibilities or simply leave them dealing with a distraction all the way into next season. For the Knicks, a divisional rival getting stuck in that kind of limbo is the sort of subplot that can matter when the Eastern Conference standings start tightening up. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Final Roster Battle Could Come Down To Mike Browns Trust
The Knicks brought five veterans into camp on non-guaranteed deals, and with only a few roster spots available, the final trim is shaping up as one of those late-summer decisions that can turn on fit as much as production. Among the names in the mix, James Wiseman stands out because New York is at least considering him as a possible third center behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond, a role that would have to be earned quickly in a crowded competition.
Marc Stein reported that Wisemans case may also be tied to Mike Browns comfort level with him, which adds another layer to a decision already complicated by Wisemans long stretch away from consistent game action. The Knicks do not need him to be a featured piece, but they do need to know whether he can be trusted as a usable depth option, and that is where this battle figures to get interesting over the next stretch of camp. [Read more 🡒]
Former Knick Admits Knicks Title Run Brought Complicated Feelings
RJ Barrett is still close enough to the Knicks to feel their championship run from a distance, and close enough to admit it stirred up some complicated emotions. The Raptors forward said he had mixed feelings watching his former team win it all last season, even as he made clear he was happy for the players and people he still knows in New York.
Barretts connection to the Knicks has not faded just because he is wearing a different uniform now. He still has friends on the roster and has kept in touch with them since the title run, which makes his reaction feel less like sour grapes and more like the natural push and pull that comes with seeing an old team reach the top without you. [Read more 🡒]