A Knicks personnel member offered doubts about the team's chances to win back-to-back titles due to a championship hangover and potential shooting regression.
There is a lot of anticipation about how the New York Knicks will make the most out of their standing as the reigning NBA champions for the next NBA season. However, there has been a bit of skepticism about their chances of defending their crown.
Jalen Brunson
Position PG
Age 29
Height 188 cm
Weight 86 kg
Birth place New Jersey, United States of America
"The Knicks are still in a good position to defend their title: Nine of the top 10 members of their playoff rotation are returning, and none of their key players appears headed for age-related decline," Ben Golliver of ESPN wrote.
"Still, a team source took a cautious approach when forecasting for next season, warning about the possibility of a championship hangover and noting that the Knicks' 3-point shooting could regress next spring after they ranked first in the 2026 postseason."
Knicks face pressure, parity to defend NBA title
The New York Knicks entered the 2026 offseason with full urgency. Although they successfully retained Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson and Mohamed Diawara, the defending champs still lost a critical piece in Mitchell Robinson, who departed and joined the Boston Celtics.
While they can't be more bullish about their odds to go for a back-to-back out of Jalen Brunson's recent bold declaration, what awaits the Knicks is a major challenge.
The NBA is in the middle of an unprecedented period of parity, with eight different teams winning championships in eight straight seasons since 2019.
No franchise has repeated as champion since Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.
As the next NBA regular season is still roughly three months away, the Knicks may choose to continue celebrating their historic feat first before going locked in a potential title repeat.
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