East Notes: Knicks, depth, Celtics, projections, Sixers, Adem Bona

The Knicks enter the 2025/26 season as one of the favorites in the East after reaching the conference finals last spring. But as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post noted, staying healthy will be the key.

OG Anunoby has battled injuries in recent seasons, and Karl-Anthony Towns has also had his share of setbacks. Nearly everyone on the roster was banged up during last year’s playoff run.

To prepare, New York added veteran depth this summer, hoping to have more insurance in case of another rough stretch.

Boston changes: The Celtics are a question mark. NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg polled colleagues and found tempered expectations after a busy offseason.

Boston traded away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, saw Luke Kornet leave in free agency and the same will be true of Al Horford.

The bigger issue is Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury, which could sideline him until the 2026-27 season.

In the meantime, the Celtics are banking on depth and development to hold the line.

Queta chasing role: Celtics center Neemias Queta, once the team’s fourth option, will compete for a bigger role alongside newcomers Luka Garza and Chris Boucher. Queta had knee surgery this offseason but told Eurohoops he feels ready.

“I got rested enough this offseason and I think that I put myself in the best position to have a breakout season,” Queta said.

Bona’s journey: Sixers second-year Sixers forward Adem Bona is suiting up for Turkey in EuroBasket.

Born in Nigeria, Bona moved to Turkey at age 13 and said that’s when he first began taking basketball seriously.

“My first basketball shoes were given to me by a friend,” Bona told BasketNews. “Basketball was just something I really liked because of the pace and the tempo.”