Knicks Bounce Back in Latest Power Rankings Amidst Win Streak

The New York Knicks are starting to recover from the hits they sustained to start the year.

Jan 27, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks suffered a humiliating transition into 2026. They fumbled an NBA Cup rematch against the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 31 in dropping a clutch-time opportunity to close out what had been a profitable 2025, and went on to lose eight of their following 10 matchups to slip into the pack that is the middle of the Eastern Conference standings.

They've yet to shake free from the other good-not-great squads lining the conference, but a recent three-game win streak is a believable-enough sign of life in the eyes of league-wide evaluators. ESPN is seeing the Knicks look like their old successful selves as of late, and reflected such approval in a slight uptick in their most recent round of power rankings.

Still far from stealing a top-five slot from a more-convincing contender, they enjoyed a slight bump from eighth place into seventh in coming off of the positive week of action.

"It's hard to say that the Knicks are back, considering one of their two wins following a four-game losing streak entering Tuesday night came against the ghastly crosstown Nets," Vincent Goodwill wrote. "But their close win on the road against the 76ers should be enough to stave off a full-blown panic a week before the trade deadline.

"Reserve guard Landry Shamet has been scorching since his return from a right shoulder sprain, shooting 43.5% from 3. However, Karl-Anthony Towns' miserable January continues and could be cause for concern. If his 16.6 PPG this month holds, it will be his lowest monthly average since Nov. 2017."

Jan 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) reacts after a score against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Swings in the Right Direction

Knicks head coach Mike Brown has been more aggressive than ever amidst his recent bit of bench management, clearly prioritizing those who give him the best possible chance at resuscitating his uncoordinated-looking defense. That's frequently meant isolating Towns in favor of inserting bench hustler Mitchell Robinson, whose rebounding touch and all-around impact on the defensive end of the floor have been palpable in every close-game scenario that the Knicks have enjoyed this season.

Jalen Brunson isn't much better on defense than his likely All-Star of a teammate, but Brown may have really found something in learning to surround the go-to scorers with big wings to cover up his flaws as a stopper. And while OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges find themselves embroiled in consistency concerns, Landry Shamet and Miles McBride continue to step up and fill in as shooters and perimeter navigators whenever necessary. Over their last three games, they're holding opponents to a little over 87 points per game.

The Knicks are still well-behind the Detroit Pistons in their chase for the No. 1 seed, and the ever-present Boston Celtics have found a way to continue hanging in the conference race. But New York's finally discovered some stability in navigating their way through the middle of the regular season, and that's more than they could say for themselves the last time the rankers came around.

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