We have made it.
After an offseason defined by change, key additions, notable departures, and a new voice at the helm, the New York Knicks are set to open the 2025–26 season under first-year head coach Mike Brown.
Every move this summer was made with one goal in mind: bringing an NBA championship back to Madison Square Garden for the first time in more than five decades.
Now, as a deeper, more balanced roster takes shape, the question looms: Is that dream within reach in the first year of Brown’s leadership?
Roster Changes
Additions
- Jordan Clarkson, G
- Guerschon Yabusele, F
- Mohamed Diawara, F
- Trey Jemison, PF/C (Two-way contract)
- Kevin McCullar Jr., G/F (Two-way contract)
- Tosan Evbuomwan, G/F (Two-way contract)
Subtractions
- MarJon Beauchamp, F
- Precious Achiuwa, PF/C
- Matt Ryan, F
- P.J. Tucker, F
- Delon Wright, G
- Jericho Sims, C
- Anton Watson, F
Depth Chart prediction
- PG: Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Tyler Kolek
- SG: Mikal Bridges, Jordan Clarkson, Landry Shamet
- SF: OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Pacôme Dadiet, Mohamed Diawara
- PF: Karl-Anthony Towns, Guerschon Yabusele
- C: Mitchell Robinson, Ariel Hukporti
New York Knicks Coaching Staff
Head Coach
- Mike Brown
Associate Head Coach
- Chris Jent
Assistant Coaches
- Rick Brunson
- Mark Bryant
- Darren Erman
- Riccardo Fois
- Brendan O’Connor
- TJ Saint
Assistant Coach / Chief of Staff to the Head Coach / Player Development
- Charles Allen
Assistant Coach / Special Advisor
- Maurice Cheeks
Assistant Coaches / Player Development
- Kwadzo Ahelegbe
- Peter Patton
- Mark Tyndale
Assistant Coach / Special Situations / Player Development
- Jordan Brink
Advance Scout / Assistant Coach
- Larry Greer
Director, Video / Analytics / Player Development Assistant
- Corey Sherman
Assistant Directors, Video / Analytics / Player Development Assistants
- Jonathan Holmes
- Carson Shanks
Roster notes and comments
The New York Knicks open the 2025–26 season with a remodeled roster and a fresh identity under new head coach Mike Brown.
After finishing 51–31 and bowing out in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, New York doubled down on depth, shooting, and playmaking this offseason, areas that had plagued the team under former coach Tom Thibodeau.
At point guard, Jalen Brunson remains the Knicks’ unquestioned leader and offensive centerpiece. Coming off a career-high 26.0 points and 7.3 assists per game in 2024-25, Brunson ranked seventh in the league when it comes to assists per game, while earning a top 15 in usage rate (29.4%).
Brown’s motion-based offense is expected to take some pressure off him, giving him more off-ball opportunities through movement sets rather than constant isolation. Brunson’s ability to create shots inside the arc, which he hit 52.8% from 10–16 feet, per Cleaning the Glass, remains one of the league’s best weapons.
Jordan Clarkson headlines the second-unit overhaul. Signed to a one-year, $3.6 million deal, the former Jazz guard averaged 16.2 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds last season.
He immediately fills New York’s long-missing sixth-man role, a pure scorer who can generate his own shot and initiate offense when Brunson needs a breather. Clarkson’s 54% true shooting percentage gives the Knicks bench a legitimate scoring punch that ranked just 29th in the league a year ago.
On the wings, the Knicks boast one of the NBA’s deepest defensive groups. OG Anunoby remains the team’s premier stopper after averaging 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 37.2% from three across 74 games last season. Josh Hart continues to serve as the glue of the roster, averaging 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, excelling in transition and as a small-ball forward.
Depth comes from a mix of youth and NBA experience. Landry Shamet, who shot 39.7% from beyond the arc last year, provides veteran spacing on the wing, while Mohamed Diawara and Pacôme Dadiet, both French natives, add length and long-term intrigue. Diawara impressed in preseason action, showcasing his rebounding and switchability at 6-foot-8. Dadiet, a former first-rounder with smooth mechanics, projects as a developmental shooter and versatile defender.
In the frontcourt, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson form one of the league’s most physically imposing big-man duos. Towns is coming off a strong 2024–25 campaign, averaging 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 42% from three, elite numbers for a frontcourt scorer.
Brown’s staff has emphasized using Towns more as a power forward to stretch defenses horizontally while allowing Robinson to protect the rim. Robinson, who averaged 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks before injuries last year, is healthy again and expected to anchor the team’s defensive identity.
Off the bench, Guerschon Yabusele adds strength and shooting at the four. Signed after averaging 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 38% from deep with Philadelphia last season,
Yabusele gives the Knicks something they’ve long lacked, an actual stretch big who can absorb contact and still space the floor. His ability to hit pick-and-pop jumpers complements Clarkson’s slashing and allows the second unit to mirror the spacing principles that Brown instills.
On the coaching staff, Brendan O’Connor and Chris Jent assist in installing Brown’s pace-and-space offensive philosophy. The staff’s early emphasis has been on transition efficiency and quicker decision-making. New York ranked just 26th in pace last season but aims to push the tempo in 2025–26 to take advantage of its improved depth.
Defensively, Darren Erman has introduced more zone concepts and switch-heavy alignments. The Knicks allowed opponents to shoot 36.4% from three last year (22nd in the league), and Brown’s group has prioritized tighter closeouts and communication. With Anunoby, Bridges, and Hart setting the tone, the team believes they can climb back into the NBA’s top 10 in defensive rating.
Ultimately, the Knicks’ success will hinge on chemistry, particularly how quickly newcomers like Clarkson and Yabusele integrate off the bench alongside the established core of Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Towns, and Robinson.
Knicks X-Factor staff predictions
How many wins?
55. Improved depth and a modernized offensive approach will strengthen the Knicks’ offense to compete for the league’s #1 spot in efficiency. A softened Eastern Conference will allow the Knicks to cruise to plenty of wins on sheer talent.
I see New York having an excellent year at home; think 32+ wins. However, I don’t see the Knicks’ defense being quite consistent enough to rack up enough road wins (especially out west) to push for that sweet, sweet 60-win bar. -Michael Nania
Where will they finish in the East?
2nd. Cleveland has established itself as a better regular season team, and it’s because they’re a more balanced two-way squad. They have the defense to build regular season consistency in a way New York hasn’t proven yet. -Michael Nania
The Knicks, as currently constructed, can’t play both ends as well as Cleveland’s starting lineup until proven otherwise. It will be difficult to change that as long as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are playing together, especially as they push toward their 30s. This isn’t to say the Cavs will have the upper hand in the playoffs, though. -Michael Nania
How many All-Stars?
KAT and Brunson will repeat, but that’s all. With the Knicks having a deeper depth chart and a coach who is more willing to dig into it, I don’t see Bridges or Anunoby getting the shots or minutes to put up the points per game that garners All-Star consideration for wings. -Michael Nania
Playoff finish?
Lose NBA Finals to Thunder, 4-1.
The Knicks are one of the two most talented teams in the East. Provided they stay healthy, they should have the talent advantage in any first or second-round series; add in (hopefully) improved lineup optimization compared to what they got from Tom Thibodeau last year, and the Knicks should be fully expected to make it back to the ECF barring a catastrophe. Pesky young teams like Detroit and Orlando could push them to 6 or 7 (as the Pistons already did), but the Knicks’ continuity, veteran experience, and proven playoff track record make them a reliable bet to win the first two rounds against a conference that, without Haliburton and Tatum in the fold, doesn’t have another team that is nearly as prepared for the playoff grind.
I expect Cleveland to finally make a run to the ECF. But unless I see Tyrese Haliburton walking through that door, give me the team with Jalen Brunson in any Eastern Conference playoff series. It would be a stretch to say there is any reason New York should be considered an easy favorite over Cleveland, but in the playoffs, it’s the team with the best isolation playmakers in gotta-have-it moments who come out on top, and I think Brunson, KAT, Bridges, and Anunoby (the latter two being clutch iso playmakers defensively as well) give NY the edge over Cleveland in that department. The Cavs will run New York off the court in at least a couple games, but it’s the Knicks who will win the nail-biters and take this in 7.
The Knicks will win their first Eastern Conference title since 1999, but the magic stops there. OKC is too much of a buzzsaw. Barring an injury to SGA, I don’t see how they fail to go back-to-back. Even if another starter or two gets injured, they’ll be just fine. This team’s depth and coaching are outrageous. I smell a dynasty coming. While the Knicks have a golden ticket to push through their conference, they just aren’t quite on OKC’s level. The Thunder are too deep with defensive stoppers for New York’s offense to shoot its way to 4 wins out of 7.
-Michael Nania
How many wins?
55-60. I think their new acquisitions in Clarkson, Yabusele, the hopeful emergence of Ariel Hukporti, and maybe, just maybe, another tiny leap from Deuce McBride this season not only bolsters the depth chart enough to allow for the Knicks to rest their stars more, but are also talented enough for them to remain competitive while doing so. -Holden Gumb
Where will they finish in the East?
All biases aside, this is the year for the Knicks to stamp themselves as the unequivocal No.1 seed in the East. The conference is maybe the weakest it’s ever been at the top. With the Celtics gutting almost the entire supporting cast of their roster and Jayson Tatum’s rehab going to take up at least three quarters of the season, I’d say that almost certainly takes them out of the running for a top spot in the East, where they’ve had prime real estate for nearly a decade to this point.
The only real threat to New York for the top spot is Cleveland, who I have no real reason to believe will take a step back talent-wise. What I do believe is that they’re tired of being labeled as playoff chokers, and in an effort to shed that label, will be saving their best basketball for the postseason. -Holden Gumb
How many All-Stars?
At least two. Maybe more if they really are on a 60+ win pace by the ASB (alla the 2015 Hawks), but two in Brunson and KAT is obviously your safest bet. The NBA is also planning on experimenting with the All-Star Game once again this year and perhaps making it a USA vs. World type format similar to what they’ve done with the Rising Stars game in the past, which would maybe help someone like OG’s case. -Holden Gumb
Playoff finish?
Finals berth. I’m not saying they’re going to win the whole thing with how the top of the West looks, but at least making it to the Finals is absolutely essential for this season to not be viewed as a failure. It’s the reason you fired Thibs and brought Mike Brown in. It’s the reason you bring in guys like Clarkson and Yabusele. They got as close as they possibly could to making it last year, now it’s time to actually do it. -Holden Gumb
How many wins?
59.
The Knicks enter the 2025–26 season positioned to exceed last year’s 51-win campaign, thanks largely to a fortified bench and renewed roster balance. The offseason additions of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele give New York the scoring punch and frontcourt versatility it lacked a season ago, two upgrades that should directly translate into more regular-season victories.
Under new head coach Mike Brown, the Knicks’ offense will better emphasize movement and pace, a system tailor-made for Miles “Deuce” McBride, whose defensive intensity and improved perimeter shooting fit Brown’s preferences on both ends of the floor.
With a deeper rotation, a steadier second unit, and an Eastern Conference that appears weaker than it has in several years, the Knicks have a clear path to pushing their win total into the high 50s. -Connor Long
Where will they finish in the East?
2nd.
While the Knicks project as one of the league’s most balanced teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers remain built for regular-season consistency with their youthful core and strong interior play. That gives them a slight edge for the No. 1 seed.
However, with Jayson Tatum expected to miss much of the season recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered against New York in last year’s second round, Boston should take a significant step back. That opens the door for the Knicks’ improved depth and continuity to carry them to the No. 2 seed in the East, their highest finish in over two decades. -Connor Long
How many All-Stars?
Two, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Brunson remains the engine of New York’s offense and one of the NBA’s most reliable late-game scorers, while Towns brings the frontcourt firepower to complement him as a stretch big in Brown’s new system. Both are strong bets to represent the Knicks in California this Feburary.
That’s not to discount the impact of Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby, who will be vital to the team’s success on both ends. But with New York’s depth expected to limit individual stat lines and shot volume, Brunson and Towns are the most realistic All-Star selections from a roster built more on balance than individual dominance. – Connor Long
Playoff finish?
Expect New York to outlast the Cavaliers in seven, punching its ticket to the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 1999.
Once there, they’ll meet an Oklahoma City team built on relentless pace, spacing, and defensive disruption.
The Thunder’s youth and depth will make this a slugfest. However, New York’s depth and modern offensive system, propel them to victory.
The Knicks defeat the Thunder 4-3, capturing their first NBA championship in 53 years. -Connor Long
