May 31, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) celebrates after three-point basket against the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter during game six of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Knicks' Championship Odds Receive Elite Grade

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The time for the New York Knicks is now, and their positive roster-building job couples well with the wide-open Eastern Conference with which they can build a potentially-impressive regular season record.

Their offense was right up there with the NBA's best in 2024-25, and that was with a team that never looked to have fully tapped into their potential. Following a few summer tweaks that have included a head coaching replacement and several newcomers to pad the Knicks' once-thin bench, they're in as good of a position as any eastern squad to contend for the 2025-26 championship.

Bleacher Report graded title chances as such, rewarding them with a relatively-exclusive A grade. They most recently won 51 games in an up-and-down campaign, with presumed stability giving them the chance to build on last season's foundation.

"Keeping the same core while adding veterans in Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele will help ease the burden on this heavily-utilized starting five," Greg Swartz wrote. "New head coach Mike Brown should be more willing to actually play his bench as well."

New York Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson and Center Karl-Anthony Towns Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

"This was a top-five offense last season that made the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers look like the only real competition in the East, a team that hasn't been able to stay healthy come playoff time the past two years. If the defense can crack the top-10, this is a true title contender."

They seemingly went all-in on building up their offensive versatility, having leaned far too much on Jalen Brunson in last season's surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals. While both Yabusele and Clarkson have had limited experience contributing to winning basketball in recent years, they both look to provide New York with some much-needed bench shooters to alleviate the starters from having to produce all of the offense.

All signs seem to point toward the Knicks targeting one more ball-handler for their final vacant roster spot, giving the Knicks a rotation with the potential to run 10-deep. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns' defensive struggles will hold the team back from reaching Swartz's dream of their putting together a defense in the top-third of the league, as Brown will be sure to ride his All-Stars for high minute-loads, but the Knicks won't have many teams in front of them out east to meaningfully disrupt their title hunt in what many are projecting to be a smoother run through the regular season.

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

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