There has been no better chance for the New York Knicks to break their 52-year championship drought than this upcoming 2025-26 NBA season. After an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, the Knicks have improved their roster across the board. It also deserves mentioning that the East is not as strong as it was in prior seasons. NBA insider Brian Windhorst believes that the stars may have finally aligned for the Knicks to do the unthinkable.
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Despite being one of the biggest markets in the NBA, the New York Knicks aren’t familiar with success. It wasn’t until the 2020-21 season that the Knicks returned to being a perennial playoff team. Last year featured the most successful team since 2000, yet they still fell short.
Experiencing that level of adversity could be extremely beneficial for this group. In addition, the team’s executive, Leon Rose, knew there were areas around the edges that required cleaning. They swiftly relieved Tom Thibodeau of his coaching duties, deeming the team had reached its ceiling under his guidance.
It was clear that Thibodeau’s reluctance to play his bench players, eventually caught up in fatigue with the starting lineup. Of course, the Knicks knew they had to improve their roster as well, which led to the signings of Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson and Malcolm Brogdon.
Since then, New York has formed quite a formidable roster surrounding their star duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. It doesn’t hurt that it seems the basketball gods have created the perfect opening for New York to capitalize on their championship window.
“They’ve got to look around at their opportunity,” Brian Windhorst said on ESPN’s NBA Today. “Jayson Tatum is going to likely miss most if not all of the season. Tyrese Haliburton, the same. The Cavs are dealing with several players coming off surgeries.”
New York hasn’t been a team that typically witnesses the ping pong balls bounce in their favor. Very rarely does a runway present itself, practically guiding a team to success. So, if there was ever a time for the Knicks to get over the hump, it would be now.
“They are in the best position we’ve seen the Knicks to win the East in a generation,” Windhorst said. “They have got to take advantage of this season.”
The Knicks don’t have any more excuses left in the tank. Although this is only Towns’ second year with the team, they won’t have an easier path than this season. For the first time since the Patrick Ewing era, the Knicks will enter a season with legitimate championship expectations.
