The Knicks are heading into their title defense with plenty of reasons to believe the follow-up can be just as loud as the breakthrough.
New York finally snapped its 53-year championship drought with a postseason run that turned years of frustration into something far more celebratory. Now the focus shifts to the 2026-2027 regular season, which is less than a week away, and Mike Brown has already tried to get his group aligned before the next chase begins.
“We have to hold each other accountable, but we also have to be mindful that you may have some s-t going on in your life that may not be good,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said earlier this month. “So we can’t keep trying to beat you up to be better at your job. Sometimes, it’s trying to figure out how to do that while uplifting you because I don’t know what you’re going through at home in your private life.”
That kind of messaging matters for a team that will spend the season answering the same basic question: can it do it again?
One of the clearest reasons for optimism sits with OG Anunoby, whose Game 4 tip-in in the 2026 NBA Finals became the kind of moment that can change a player’s profile overnight. At 29, he’s now a name the whole league knows, not just Knicks fans.
When healthy, Anunoby does everything a contender needs from a high-end two-way wing. In 67 games, he posted 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting around 48 percent from the field and around 39 percent from deep.
There’s reason to think there’s still room for more. Another season in Brown’s system should help, and his offensive chemistry with Karl-Anthony Towns could keep growing. Cleaning the Glass had Anunoby in the 92nd percentile in Points Per Shot Attempt, and while total efficiency might dip a bit, a small rise in scoring, rebounding, and playmaking could push him toward his first All-Star nod.
The supporting cast also looks ready for another round in the spotlight. Last spring’s run featured key contributions from role players like Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet, and Jordan Clarkson, and that kind of depth matters again with much of the same group back.
Brown’s approach helps here, too. Compared with Tom Thibodeau, he has been more open to changing rotations and giving the bench real minutes over the course of a long season. Add in the possibility of injuries and other setbacks, and there should be openings for players like Mohamed Diawara, Andre Drummond, and others to grab chances when they come.
The regular season may not be where the Knicks define themselves. Last year’s debate centered on chemistry and whether the roster could truly contend, even though New York finished with the No. 3 seed. They never quite looked like the East’s most dominant team over the full schedule, but the season still gave Brown a chance to sort through combinations and see what the ceiling looked like.
That might be the right lens again. The Knicks are built to compete every night, but they may not be obsessed with squeezing every win out of the standings if the bigger picture is what they’re chasing.
Other teams, including the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, and Orlando Magic, may be more eager to maximize seeding and shape a better playoff path. New York has already shown it can win when it matters most.
Then there’s Jalen Brunson, who keeps forcing the league to reconsider him. Even after winning an NBA Finals, the former second-round pick still gets treated by some as if he belongs a tier below the game’s true stars.
That ignores what he’s become. Brunson’s size and lack of flashy physical tools have never fit the conventional superstar mold, but his leadership and toughness have made him the face of the franchise and one of the league’s elite competitors.
In 74 games last season, the New Jersey native averaged 26 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists while shooting almost 47 percent from the field. He has had bigger scoring seasons and better shooting stretches, but his overall impact keeps pointing in one direction.
If the Knicks are going to defend their crown, Brunson is going to be at the center of it. And with names like Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Nikola Jokic likely to draw the early spotlight, it would hardly be a surprise if Brunson once again played his way into the MVP conversation.
In Other News...
Knicks Still Have One Roster Decision That Could Get Expensive
The Knicks have started trimming the edges of their camp roster, officially waiving Tony Bradley, Ochai Agbaji and Drew Eubanks after bringing them in on non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deals. Those moves narrow the competition and leave James Wiseman and Bruce Brown as the two remaining invitees still in the mix as the team sorts through its final decisions before the cutdown deadline.
For New York, the question now is less about bodies than about balance, with roster spots and salary cap considerations both part of the calculation. The Knicks have already cleared out three camp options, but the last choice on the board could carry more cost than the others, which is why the front office still has one decision left to make before the group is finalized. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Created A Roster Question Fans Will Not Ignore
The Knicks have quietly hit an important offseason checkpoint, and it has less to do with the next game than with the shape of the roster over the next few years. Contract talks with Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart have reportedly been paused, a move tied to owner James Dolans directive to avoid pushing the payroll beyond the NBAs second salary apron. For a team trying to stay in the contender conversation, that kind of financial caution has immediate basketball consequences.
Towns is eligible for a four-year max extension, with a deadline sitting in October 2026, while Hart is looking for a multi-year deal of his own. Both players have become central pieces of what the Knicks have built, which is why the pause is drawing so much attention from fans who see the current group as too good to casually tinker with. The bigger question now is whether New York can keep the core intact and still leave itself enough flexibility to compete in future seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Andre Drummond May Be More Important To The Knicks Than Expected
Andre Drummonds first preseason turn in a Knicks uniform offered a quick glimpse of why Mike Brown sounds intrigued by what the veteran big man could bring. In 12 minutes against Minnesota, Drummond chipped in four points, four rebounds, three blocks and a steal, but Brown was just as focused on the communication and defensive presence he brought to the floor.
For a second unit that still needs to sharpen its overall defense, that sort of stabilizing voice could matter more than the box score suggests. Brown views Drummond as a possible organizer on that end, and the real question now is how clearly that role gets defined once the games start counting and how quickly his impact shows up in the regular season. [Read more 🡒]