The Knicks still look like they're on top.
The New York Knicks will go into next season riding the high of their historic championship victory and while expectations will be high, the Knicks are poised to rise to the challenge.
They didn't take many big swings during the offseason, but then again, they didn't have to either. The main goal for the Knicks this offseason was to secure as many of their players from last season's roster as possible and for the most part that's exactly what the Knicks did, bringing back notable players like Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado while adding Andre Drummond to address the loss of Mitchell Robinson in free agency.
With their many of their support players coming back and the main core still firmly in place, the Knicks are in a great place to be competitive next season, even if the Eastern Conference around them has rapidly improved to make things more interesting.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns celebrates with the Larry O'Brien championship trophy and the eastern conference finals trophy during a ceremony at New York City Hall after the championship parade. Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesESPN's Optimistic Projection
That's why ESPN's recent projection putting the Knicks at the top of the conference and predicting them to finish with a 53-29 regular season record doesn't come as much of a surprise.
ESPN project's the Detroit Pistons, last season's one-seed in the conference, to come in second behind the Knicks, followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics coming in at fifth-place.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) during game five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Geoff Burke-Pool Photo via Imagn ImagesMaintaining the continuity of last season's team is clearly something that ESPN has put a lot of stock in and for good reason. So much of the Knicks' success last season was dependent on the overall chemistry of the team and each player's understanding of their role which in turn led to a complimentary effort across the floor.
Maintaining Chemistry
The best way to maintain that chemistry is to bring back as many players as possible, which was something that the Knicks achieved, so it's reasonable to expect that the Knicks can replicate as much of their success from the end of last season, where they took off on a massive hot streak, as possible.
New York Knicksguard Josh Hart (3) shoots the ball against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half during game five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Scott Wachter-Imagn ImagesThe rest of the Eastern Conference below them will likely be much less consistent than the Knicks' almost-assured finish at the top, with so much talent available between the Cavaliers expecting a full season of the Donovan Mitchell-James Harden conection, the Pistons still firing with Cade Cunningham at the helm and and the 76ers having added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown.
While the Eastern Conference was the weaker of the halves of the NBA last season, things look to be far more competitive next season, with the Knicks looking to be the most competitive of all.
