A quarter of NBA basketball is yet to be played this fall. However, questions about the New York Knicks' ability to go back-to-back are already arising. 

After winning their first championship since 1973 in June — by seeing off the San Antonio Spurs in five games — the Knicks will enter the new campaign with a new, much bigger target on their backs. Coupled with the potential of the infamous post-title hangover, that could spell bad news for the fans in New York.

ESPN's Ben Golliver reported last week that a team source was "cautious" when looking ahead to the upcoming season, noting a potential three-point shooting regression after the Knicks ranked first in the 2026 playoffs.

Naturally, any sort of drop-off in that facet of the game would hurt the Knicks significantly. But how likely is it to actually happen?

The Knicks are bringing back every player who contributed to their league-best three-point efficiency in the postseason. That type of system continuity bodes well for maintaining the high-level output. 

From their championship core, only Mitchell Robinson — a non-factor on the perimeter offensively — is no longer in New York. He has already been replaced by reliable veteran big man Andre Drummond.

Elsewhere, three-point percentage leaders Miles McBride (41.3) and Josh Hart (41.3) will likely keep doing what earned them their reputations as elite spot-up shooters — same with deep-ball specialist Landry Shamet, who shot 39.2 percent from beyond the arc last year.

Third-year guard Tyler Kolek — who shot the team's fourth-best 38.6 percent from three — could also provide an extra spark in a potential breakout campaign.

OG Anunoby (38.6% 3PT) is as reliable as anybody in the NBA. Long story short, the Knicks certainly have the personnel — even beyond the aforementioned — to avoid a shooting regression.

The Eastern Conference is no longer the little brother to the West. The Knicks' title run only reaffirmed that.

This offseason, teams on the east side of the nation got even stronger. That's arguably a greater cause for concern for the Knicks than anything else internally.

In the ongoings around them, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown teamed up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia — forming a potential powerhouse contender. Giannis Antetokounmpo joined Bam Adebayo in Miami. Tyrese Haliburton is back for Indiana, and Kawhi Leonard has returned to Toronto.

And that's only naming the teams that are adding or returning star power. There are also the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Detroit Pistons, who are not going anywhere.

Should the Knicks become the first repeat champions in eight seasons, they will have to go through the gauntlet in their own conference before even seeing eye to eye with the likes of Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Luka Doncic from the West. 

The last teams to repeat in 25 years were led by bona fide superstars — Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron. Jalen Brunson would enter air even more rare than the one he's already in if he led the Knicks to the summit twice in as many years.

But in a city so starved for a championship, this Knicks group has already delivered. So, despite the increased pressure from the outside, inside Madison Square Garden, they may well be playing with house money, in a sense.

Sure, they will want to go back-to-back. That goes without saying. However, that is unlikely to be the consensus expectation placed on them from within.