The Biggest Question Every Knicks Starter Must Answer Heading Into The Season

The 2025-26 Knicks felt like the perfect team–one that fans have long dreamt of having. Led by a silent assassin in Jalen Brunson and an elite supporting cast that embodied the city’s passion, grit, and perseverance, the Knicks won a championship in the most dramatic way possible to cap off the most memorable season in decades.

That team and season will live on forever. And rightfully so. But we’re now just under a month away from a brand new season. The players and many of the fans are ready to see if they can do it all over again–this time as the defenders of the crown. That’ll come with a brand new set of challenges, unique situations, and questions. So with that being said, what are the biggest questions every Knicks starter must answer heading into the 2026-27 campaign?

Jalen Brunson: Can he not only keep up his own elite level of play but also thrive while continuing to get more out of the others?

There were a lot of defining moments during the Knicks’ run to a championship. There were also many reasons why the Knicks went on such a historically dominant run during the postseason. One thing that falls under both categories was the Knicks' decision to play more through Karl-Anthony Towns in the Hawks series and their ability to continue doing so as the playoffs went on. Towns’ playmaking and the cutting abilities of OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart were all pivotal in allowing that to happen. But so was Brunson’s ability to be just as lethal without the ball as he is with it.

Brunson will remain an elite scorer with the ball. But as the Knicks get ready to not only run it back, but to continue improving, it will be interesting to see if Brunson can lead the offense to new heights by embracing playing off the ball even more, thus allowing the aforementioned quartet to shine like they did during the postseason. His ability and willingness to do so could be a major factor in determining the heights that Towns, Anunoby, Bridges, and ultimately, the team can reach.

Josh Hart: How will the shooting be?

There are a lot of things you can count on from Hart: Elite positional rebounding, connective passing, secondary ball handling, timely cuts, and an ability to turn 50-50 balls into 90-10 balls in the Knicks’ favor. But despite all of the positives he provides, a lot of his impact on his teammates and the game overall comes down to his shooting. When his shot is completely off or when he starts to turn down shots, Hart can become unplayable. We’ve seen opposing teams put centers on him, not only negating his strengths, but also countering a lot of what Brunson and Towns want to do.

After shooting 31% and 33% from three in the two seasons prior, Hart took a huge step forward by shooting 41.3% from three last regular season. But in the postseason, his shot left him once again as he shot just 32.6% from three. If he increases his three-point attempts while maintaining a similar percentage, it would turn the Knicks' already elite offense into a truly unstoppable force. But he could just as easily revert as a shooter both in terms of attempts and percentage.

The veteran guard has the tough task of trying to find his own unique ways of impacting games without having any plays run for him. And that often comes through his aforementioned rebounding and hustle. Despite his flaws, he’s still a pivotal part of the Knicks’ success. But given the depth of options the Knicks have at shooting guard and his upcoming extension, it will be interesting to see how he shoots the ball this season and how it impacts rotation decisions and his potential contract extension.

Mikal Bridge: Will he be able to play more freely now?

Bridges never asked to be traded, let alone to a crosstown rival for five first-round picks. That was Leon Rose’s call. Yet it was Bridges who bore the brunt of the jokes. When Bridges struggled, there were nonstop mentions of the trade, many of them coming from Knicks fans. And whether he wants to admit it or not, it was clear that Bridges very much felt the pressure that came with being traded for a haul of that nature. While I’m no expert in reading facial expressions or body language, Bridges looked more relieved than he ever had as a Knick after they won the championship, though.

He was smiling more constantly, he went on an impromptu Instagram Live, and he’s spent much of the offseason just looking a bit happier and in a better state mentally. Now, the grind and rigors of an 82-game regular season will come with the usual pressure and expectations from the passionate and vocal Knicks fan base. And some of that may come back to impact Bridges. But the hope amongst New York fans is that the championship can inject some more confidence into Bridges. He no longer has to live up to the expectations of the trade or feel like he has to justify it. And maybe he can play more freely, be more aggressive, and be his best self.

OG Anunoby: Is the offensive aggressiveness and creation real?

Many of the Knicks ensemble cast stepped up last season. But amongst the most improved was Anunoby. The Knicks wing has long been considered by many as one of the premier 3-and-D role players in the league. But his newfound offensive aggressiveness and ability and willingness to create more shots for himself made many question if he was more than that. Perhaps he had simply evolved into an elite two-way player.

The small sample size of the postseason still leaves that question partially unanswered. But if Anunoby attacks the offensive side of the ball with the same confidence and vigor this regular season, he can fully establish himself as a legitimate two-way star and potentially make his first All-Star appearance.

Karl-Anthony Towns: Can he defend, shoot, and pass the way he did during the postseason?

No player faced more criticism than Towns during the up-and-down rollercoaster regular season. While the underlying analytics and eye test showed that Towns was still an extremely impactful player, the decline in points per game, shots per game, and three-point percentage, coupled with his foul trouble, left fans disappointed and frustrated. That led to disagreements amongst the fans as they debated just how good or bad of a season he was having. During the postseason, though, there were no arguments surrounding Towns or his play. On their way to hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, the Knicks center had turned into one of the most valuable players in the entire league.

Towns took his entire game, outside of raw scoring numbers, to a new level—heights we had only ever seen glimpses of. He became not just a good, but legitimately elite defender. The passing at his position was second only to Nikola Jokic, who just happens to be one of the best passers of all time. And while the points were down, the efficiency with which he was shooting and scoring with was a sight to behold. If Towns can replicate even 90% of that, the Knicks will be an elite team once again.

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