Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns shutting out…
The Knicks haven’t entered a season with this variety of pleasure since the times of the Yankees Core Four dynasty.
They start a new 12 months with NBA Finals expectations, anointed as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. A core that reached the Eastern Conference finals is back, bolstered by an improved bench that includes Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele.
But to captain Jalen Brunson, that’s just noise. It is irrelevant to what this group needs to accomplish. He’s doing his best to keep away from the hype.
“I disregard it, because it doesn’t mean s–t,” the star level guard said Monday after follow. “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s not for me to worry about. My worry is practice, my worry is film, my worry is getting better every single day. I don’t have time to think about what people say about us.”
Karl-Anthony Towns had a comparable response. Projections and predictions don’t guarantee something.
So while the Knicks and the Cavaliers are anticipated to battle it out atop the convention, that doesn’t imply the 2025-26 season will play out that manner.
Nobody anticipated the Pacers to come out of the East at this time last fall.
Jalen Brunson dribbles the ball up court against the Charlotte Hornets in the first half at Madison Square Garden in New York, Friday, October 17, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
“All that is, is looking at a crystal ball, hoping that things work out the way the crystal ball says,” Towns said. “We’ve gotta take care of our team and can’t even think about that.”
It begins for real on Wednesday night time at the Garden against, not coincidentally, the Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell. It might be a enjoyable early problem for the Knicks under new coach Mike Brown. An early alternative to see where they stand against another top contender, even if Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart might not play.
Knicks heart Karl-Anthony Towns (32) when the New York Knicks held their media day Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“It’s a good test. It makes us better,” Towns said. “I think both teams would agree, and I’ll say the same that we get to go against the best of the best. You get to see where you stand and also what to work on when you play teams that are highly looked upon this year. So we just go out there and play our best.”
It might be attention-grabbing to see how the Knicks look. They went 4-1 in the preseason, but weren’t at full strength. In the ultimate gown rehearsal on Friday against the Hornets, 4 key gamers — Towns, Hart, Robinson and OG Anunoby — didn’t play. Brown has warned that it may take time for this group to hit its stride in this new up-tempo model.
So while many of the same acquainted faces are back in orange and blue, creating extremely high hopes within the fan base, there’s still some thriller as to what it can appear to be when the video games depend for real.
“A lot of things are the same, but some things are different. Yes, we have the same core, but we have some different pieces,” Brunson said. “The voice is different and every thing is different from the teaching facet of it. But the mentality and the method has to keep the same.
Mike Brown reacts on the sideline in the first half at Madison Square Garden in New York, Friday, October 17, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
“It’s wanting to win games and wanting to get better, it’s wanting to learn and doing whatever it takes. Those other things are different, but that has to be the same.”
A 12 months in the past, the Knicks opener was against the Celtics, and they had been crushed, which meant nothing when they eradicated Boston in the playoffs. Wednesday night time is just the start.
“It’s the first step,” Brunson said, “to hopefully a long way to go.”
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