It seems like just yesterday we watched the New York Knicks hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in 53 years, with more than 2 million people serenading them at the championship parade on June 18 (myself included). Somehow, in the blink of an eye, we’re less than a month away from it starting all over again in a race to crown a 2027 champion.
In an offseason marked by drastic changes like never before, Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to Miami. LeBron James spurned Miami and his hometown, Cleveland, for Philadelphia, and Kawhi Leonard left massive wreckage, leaving the Los Angeles Clippers to the Toronto Raptors, enough to make Godzilla proud.
That said, few teams stand out as title contenders. From a team out in Texas with an "alien" to the defending champion Knicks looking to become the first team to repeat since the KD, Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors.Â
Let's dive into the list.
2026 NBA Power Rankings: New York Knicks
Staying at the top is never a walk in the park in any line of business. The Knicks enter the 2026-27 NBA season looking to become the first team to repeat in almost a decade. They return their starting five of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, O.G. Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Knicks' starting lineup was fresher entering the last postseason, as they collectively played 540 minutes together per Hoops Junkie—a far cry from a league-leading 940 minutes in 2024-25 under Tom Thibodeau.
As we saw last season, players who played as hard as Hart and Anunoby were healthier and performed better in high-stakes situations thanks to the 42.4% decrease in minutes. Brunson is one of the clutchest playoff performers in NBA history; the disruptive defense of their wings in Anunoby, Hart & Bridges, and Towns' spacing will still make the Knicks a tough out against anyone.
Factor in their bench with Andre Drummond filling in the Mitchell Robinson role since he left for the Boston Celtics. Miles McBride and Jordan Clarkson provide scoring for the second unit. Jose Alvarado is a pest no one wants to play against, and Landry Shamet rediscovered his confidence in his jumper and spaces the floor.
While the Eastern Conference has gotten much stronger, the defending champions return most of their core and deserve respect.
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