New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Depth Will Carry Knicks to Championship

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New York Knicks are led by stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, but they will need more than their dynamic duo to win a championship.

It will also take more than key role players in Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks need everyone 1-15 and even the two-way players to win a championship.

“It’s going to take all of us,” Brunson said in an interview with D.J. Siddiqi. “It’s not going to take just one change or another small thing. It’s going to take all of us together to kind of put everything aside and pull together.”

Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard controls the ball as New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson defends Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

A lot of sacrifices will have to be made this season in order for the Knicks to accomplish their goal. The main difference between this year's team and last year's squad is the head coach and his philosophies.

Last year, Tom Thibodeau wanted his stars to play a majority, if not the entire game, while Brown has been brought in to implement a different system. Brown's rotations will feature nine or sometimes 10 players, which means the top stars like Brunson, Towns and Bridges may need to sacrifice individual stats for the team.

For Brunson, that shouldn't be much of an issue because of his goals.

“All my personal goals are team-based,” Brunson said via Siddiqi. “If everyone’s able to feed off that, that’s all I’m worried about. I’m not really worried about anything that benefits me solely if it doesn’t help us to get where we’re going.”

The Knicks have bought into the team-centric mindset in the past and all of the players on the team has shown selflessness before. Now, the Knicks just need to get everyone on the same page once again before the season begins to remind themselves that they are capable of accomplishing their goal of winning a championship.

With training camp on the horizon, this is the opportunity the Knicks have to get ready for the season as a unit before undergoing the nine-month gauntlet in their quest for a championship.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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