This offseason looks much different than previous ones in the eyes of the Knicks and their fans, filled with celebration and catharsis instead of hunger and regret. But their magical 2026 championship run isn’t reason enough to take summer lightly; if they want to repeat, they’ll need to be even better in a restocked East.
With that in mind, let’s go over each returning player to determine what key skill they should be working on bringing into 2026-27 to help defend the throne.
Jalen Brunson – Passing through pressure
It’s no easy task to find fault in one of the greatest playoff and NBA Finals performances ever strung together on hardwood, but if there’s one thing to nitpick, it would be some of Brunson’s sloppy passing, most evidently in the Finals.
The Spurs’ length and pressure gave him fits, leading to a muted 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio in that series.
Brunson often found himself in the paint only to try and squeeze a tough interior pass through or get intercepted spraying out to the weak corner. He tightened up down the stretch, but can further improve this part of his game with some ball fakes and better decisions.
Mikal Bridges – Pick-and-roll and isolation playmaking
Bridges was invaluable and hilariously efficient in New York’s playoff run, but at times it felt he had a little more to give when Brunson was being pressured, and the Knicks needed an extra dose of ball-handling.
He stepped up with his shooting as others like Jose Alvarado took over more ball-handling duties, but this could be an area for Bridges to tap into more.
His mid-range game is so effective; being comfortable using a screen or developing some kind of go-to dribble move that creates some space when he’s out on the perimeter could take his game to another level — it would also make defenses second-guess giving him a favorable matchup.
OG Anunoby – Scoring mentality
Anunoby elevated his game to its peak potential during the playoffs, averaging 20 points on 62 percent shooting from two and 49 percent from three while maintaining his elite defense on the other end.
He’s long worked to develop a Kawhi Leonard-esque isolation game and wanted the opportunity to show it off, but emerged as the ultimate complementary scorer by simplifying his attack to its most dangerous looks.
Boiling it down to timely cuts, threes, and one or two dribbles utilizing his strength was key, and if he carries that mentality over to next season, he could bring this championship level of play every day. He’s now got the confidence and formula to average 20 while keeping in the flow of the team’s offense.
Josh Hart – Three-point confidence
It’s a familiar tune, but even as late as last year’s Conference Finals and NBA Finals, Hart turned down open three-point looks because he was either struggling or thought there was a better shot available.
Given he hit 41 percent of his threes during the regular season and 37 percent in the playoffs after the Hawks series, he needs to start putting them up with confidence, especially when opponents leave him alone.
Karl-Anthony Towns – Driving without hooking
All the way up to the decisive Game 5 of the NBA Finals, despite the incredible performances along the way, Towns still couldn’t get a superstar or even an All-Star whistle from the officials.
A lot of contact will be allowed so long as you’re built like a bulldozer, but the non-calls aren’t as damaging as the offensive fouls he picked up for hooking opponents’ arms on drives.
The ring likely won’t change how he’s called either, so if he can at least work to take this obvious whistle out of his game, chances are he’ll stay on the floor more for the repeat run — the Knicks will need it given what he provided on both ends.
Miles McBride – Ball-handling
McBride probably had the quietest postseason of the regular rotation, as the pressure defenses pushed him off the ball and made it difficult for him to find any offense outside his spot-up game. This has been an ongoing critique throughout his career, so nothing new here, but a big leap in his dribble could set him up for a bigger role next season.
Jose Alvarado – Consistency
The booms for Alvarado will be heard for generations to come — eight massive points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Finals above all — but they were often preceded by busts in both the regular season and postseason.
If he can work on bringing a more consistent performance night in and night out, his spot in the rotation should reflect that, and the Knicks would be major beneficiaries.
Landry Shamet – Screen navigation and strength
Shamet became a hero in the later rounds thanks to his shooting, but at times struggled during his Finals minutes battling through screens and trying to defend San Antonio’s trio of skilled guards. Some added core and lower body strength would go a long way here to making him an even more consistent contributor instead of a matchup-dependent option.
Jordan Clarkson – Spot-up threes
Clarkson re-invented himself after a midseason benching to become a defensive hound and consistent paint toucher; the only piece that felt missing was his ability to spread the floor.
If he can lock in that corner catch-and-shoot three, he’ll be able to contribute even more next season.
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