The Knicks had all summer to enjoy the glow of an NBA championship, but the clock is almost up on celebration. The 2026-27 season is about to begin, and Mike Brown’s group is getting ready to shift from soaking it in to defending what it won.
That switch won’t happen quietly. New York opens against the Philadelphia 76ers next Tuesday, and LeBron James will be making his first regular-season appearance as a Sixer. Before the game starts, though, he’ll see a banner rise at Madison Square Garden.
Even without Mitchell Robinson available to anchor the paint, James thinks the champions can roll straight into the new season without losing their edge. On Mind the Game, his podcast with Steve Nash, James was openly positive about the Knicks, their mindset, and the kind of value newcomers like Andre Drummond can bring.
James singled out Drummond’s athleticism and rebounding, but the bigger point was the attitude. The veteran center, in James’ view, fits the way this team thinks.
"When you experience that success... They don't have many guys that give me 'entitled,' like, 'oh, we won, so we expect to win.'
They give me guys- humble guys. 'Let's go back to work, again.'
So, they'll be right back there," James told Nash.
Drummond spent part of his offseason making it clear he wanted to stop settling for contracts he felt undervalued him. In a now-deleted video, the Mount Vernon, NY native said he felt the minimum deal he signed years ago had followed him in a way that cost him later, making teams view him as more of a fringe player than he believed he was.
James and Nash didn’t touch on 25-year-old James Wiseman, who won the Knicks’ training camp competition and earned the club’s lone open roster spot. The former No. 2 overall pick had been close to slipping out of the league before the Knicks gave him a path back.
Wiseman, too, arrives with something to prove. And that fits the job description in New York.
Brown and his staff were not bringing in a center to take Karl-Anthony Towns out of the equation. Drummond and Wiseman are there to support him, and to help keep the Knicks on the same track they were on last season.
In Other News...
Knicks Bench Has One Change Fans Can't Ignore This Season
The Knicks are heading into a season unlike any other, with their first championship banner in 53 years set to go up and most of the title group back in place. The biggest change to the supporting cast comes from the bench, where Mitchell Robinson is gone after signing with the Boston Celtics and Andre Drummond has been brought in to fill that role.
Around him, the familiar second unit look remains mostly intact, with Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson all returning to give the Knicks the same kind of guard depth that helped define last seasons run. Even so, the bench still has a layer of uncertainty beneath the surface, since players like Miles McBride could be staring at free agency next summer, leaving New York with one eye on the present and another on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Suddenly Have A Josh Hart Concern They Can't Ignore
Josh Hart is heading into the new season with more than the usual opening-night nerves. The Knicks wing is dealing with a lingering finger injury, and while the team is still sorting out the full extent of the issue, it is serious enough to hang over his availability as the regular season begins. He also sat out the preseason finale with an ankle injury, adding another layer of uncertainty to a player whose energy and durability have long been central to what New York wants to do.
Coach Mike Brown does not believe the ankle will keep Hart from being ready for the opener, but the bigger picture is still unsettled. Harts status for the first game is being monitored in the days leading up to it, and the finger situation gives the Knicks a real reason to be cautious. For a team that leans heavily on Harts all-around impact, this is the kind of early-season concern that cant be brushed aside, even before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Three Former Knicks From The Title Team Face A Sudden Reality
As the regular season draws closer, three familiar names from New Yorks championship run are suddenly on the outside looking in. Trey Jemison III, Dillon Jones and Jeremy Sochan, all part of the Knicks 2025-26 title roster, are currently without NBA homes after each was waived this offseason by a different team.
It is a reminder of how quickly life can change for players who were peripheral pieces on a winning club. Jemison was let go by Toronto, Jones by Philadelphia and Sochan by Portland, and with all three having played limited roles during that title season, their next steps now hinge on finding another opportunity before the leagues roster picture settles. [Read more 🡒]