Knicks 2026-27 NBA season predictions after schedule release

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Knicks 2026-27 NBA season predictions after schedule release

Jedd Pagaduan, ClutchPoints

Tue, Aug 18, 2026 ·

6 min read

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The New York Knicks must still be on cloud nine after they snapped the franchise's 53-year title drought by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the 2026 NBA Finals. A city that's been starving of success finally got a taste of what it's like to be on the mountaintop, and they had to patiently wait for their turn after witnessing the Knicks be mismanaged for years on end.

The NBA released the schedule for all 30 teams late last week, and the Knicks have to be raring to go out and defend their championship. Opening night (on the 20th of October) against LeBron James and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers is going to be a sight to behold at the Garden, as Jalen Brunson and company will be getting their rings against the team that is widely regarded as the favorite to win it all in 2027.

Can the Knicks maintain their focus and defend their title with every other NBA team hot on their tail? Will they avoid a championship hangover? Nothing lasts forever, especially in professional sports; can New York shock the world and repeat as champion next season?

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Here are a few predictions for how the 2026-27 season would go for the reigning champion Knicks.

Jalen Brunson averages 30, finishes in the top-five of MVP voting

The 2025-26 campaign was a bit of a down year for Brunson. His scoring efficiency declined, and his playmaking production also fell off a bit. He was still an All-Star-caliber player, but it was clear that he was still adjusting to a new head coach in Mike Brown to begin last season.

However, Brunson only improved as the season went on, and he was performing at his best during the 2026 NBA playoffs. He averaged 32.6 points per game in the NBA Finals, scoring 45 in Game 5 to clinch the title on the road. At 28 years of age, Brunson is at his peak — and his confidence has to be off the charts after leading the Knicks to the promised land.

He has now adjusted quite well to Brown's system and he has lifted quite a heavy weight off his back after winning the title for the Knicks. With that, Brunson might be poised for a big 2026-27 season in which he averages over 30 points per game and finishes in the top five in MVP voting for a Knicks team that is among the top seeds in the East.

Knicks go back-to-back in the NBA Cup

The NBA Cup will be entering its fourth year, and in its first three iterations, there have been three different winners. In 2023, it was the Los Angeles Lakers that got it done. The following year, the Milwaukee Bucks won the tournament. And then in 2025, the Knicks won in Vegas — foreshadowing their eventual lifting of the Larry O'Brien trophy in June.

There may have been different cup winners over the past three years, but one constant has been the Knicks' excellence during the in-season tournament . Only New York has made it to the knockout stage in each of the first three iterations of the NBA Cup, and there's no reason to expect that to change anytime soon.

New York remains battle-tested, and in a competitive, single-elimination environment, they have the star power, mental fortitude, coaching, and the track record to get it done once again — becoming the first repeat champion in the competition.

Knicks pull off a trade for some frontcourt help

The Knicks had to make a decision on which player to keep between Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet. In the end, they decided to let Robinson walk to the Boston Celtics as they prioritized the re-signing of Shamet. Shamet established himself as an important rotation piece in the 2026 NBA playoffs, so it's not like New York made the wrong call.

They decided that bringing in Andre Drummond as their primary backup for Karl-Anthony Towns was enough, as Drummond only cost the Knicks a veteran minimum deal. But Robinson was not only an elite rebounder, he was also a strong defender who protected the rim and gave New York a different dimension from Towns' more offensive-oriented style of play.

Drummond, meanwhile, has some huge question marks regarding his mobility and defensive motor. When Towns inevitably falls prey to foul trouble, is Drummond going to be able to hold the fort similar to how Robinson did for New York?

The Knicks now have quite the stacked backcourt. They have Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado to back up Brunson, with Jordan Clarkson also available to provide some minutes at the two/three alongside Shamet.

At some point in the season, New York will have to reinforce their frontcourt, taking from a position of strength to address a position of weakness. Perhaps the Knicks could trade for someone like Dylan Cardwell or even Moussa Diabate to add even more frontcourt insurance without taking on a considerable amount of cap obligation.

New York at least makes it back to the ECF

It will be difficult for the Knicks to repeat as champion, especially when there are plenty of other teams coming to snatch New York's crown. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, for one, are entering next season as the two best teams in the NBA, and should the Spurs make it back to the NBA Finals, it's hard to envision them making the same mistakes they made in 2026.

And then there's the Eastern Conference. The 76ers have stacked the roster beyond belief, and their depth is underrated. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Detroit Pistons should be solid and competitive teams yet again.

And then there's the Miami Heat, a team that added Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Indiana Pacers, a team getting Tyrese Haliburton back, and the loaded Atlanta Hawks all looming as dark-horse contenders as well.

Suffice to say, the Knicks will need to play the way they did from Game 4 of their series against the Hawks onwards if they were to have a chance at repeating. But the playoff experience and confidence they gained from last season should be enough to get them through the first two rounds of the postseason at the very least.

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