The Knicks open the season at Boston on Tuesday, and the Networks‘opener is in Atlanta on Wednesday. So we think it’s a good time to compile a list of 10 of the most important NBA (or NBA-adjacent) figures for both New York teams this year.
Our list is below, in no particular order:
1. JALEN BRUNSON
More than anyone else, Brunson is responsible for the Knicks’ resurgence. With Brunson at the helm, New York reached the second round of the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in more than two decades.
Considering where this franchise has been over the last 20 years, two straight trips to the second round is quite an accomplishment. But the bar is being raised now, and no one will be celebrating if this Knicks season ends in the second round.
After trading for Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns and re-signing AND Anunobythe Knicks are all in on trying to win a title. It goes without saying that Brunson will be a big factor in whether they get there or not.
He averaged 28.7 points, 6.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds per game last season. He shot 40 percent from beyond the arc and made All-NBA second team. Brunson should also have more room to operate this season with Towns on the floor.
If everyone is healthy, this Knicks team is good enough to play in June. To get there, some players will have to sacrifice individual numbers for the greater good. Some will not get as many shots as they are used to. Others may play fewer minutes than they expect.
Will they be able to accept this reality over the next six more months? Or will they fight it?
This, to me, is where Brunson’s off-court presence is so important.
By all accounts, the first-year team manager is a unifier, someone who brings people together. There will be times this year when the Knicks rely on those traits of Brunson as much as they rely on his scoring.
2. TOM THIBODEAU
Thibodeau has established himself as the best Knicks head coach ever since Jeff Van Gundy. The Knicks have overachieved in three of their four seasons on the bench. Thibodeau had the Knicks near the top of the league in both offense and defense at different points of his tenure. He kept a team without Anunoby and Julius Randle last season humming.
All notable achievements. But they won’t shield Thibodeau from the second-guessing and criticism that comes with coaching in New York. Thibodeau’s lineups, substitutions, timeouts, coach’s challenges and every other decision he makes this season will be scrutinized.
3. KARL-ANTHONY CITIES
Towns’ play will be a major factor in the Knicks’ success this season. The preseason was promising, as Towns scored on the perimeter and off the dribble, and he helped spread the floor.
If those trends continue into the regular season and into June, Cities will be treated like a folk hero. If he and the team struggle — especially early in the season — fans and analysts will start second-guessing the trade. As you’ve seen in the past, things can quickly go sideways here when that happens.
4. LEON ROSE AND THE KNICKS FRONT OFFICE
The Knicks front office received praise for how skillfully they handled the Cities trade — rightfully so. It was a complex trade executed incredibly well by New York, but their work is not done.
The roster is thin in places. A backup center can be a weak point. They lost a lot of rebounding when Isaiah Hartenstein and Randle left and Mitchell Robinson fell with a foot injury.
The team salary of the Knicks is very close to the second apron ($188.9 million). They can’t top that apron this season, so they’ll have to stay creative if they want to add players via trade.
5. CASEY SMITH AND THE MEDICAL/COACHING STAFF
Casey Smith comes to New York from Dallas with a stellar reputation. People in the organization were thrilled to bring him on board, and his group should be busy this season.
How do you manage Anunoby to be at his best in May and June? Can you help Cities avoid injuries? How can you help Brunson last more than six-plus months of basketball?
These are just some of the problems that Smith & Co. will face this season.
6. DONTE DIVINCENZO
You can also insert Randle here. I guess a lot of Knicks fans will be paying attention to DiVincenzo and Randle in Minnesota. It is logical to assume that DiVincenzo and Randle will both put up numbers with the Timberwolves.
Can they lift Anthony Edwards & Co.? Can they help Minnesota make another deep playoff run? Or are the new-look Timberwolves taking a step back? Whatever happens in the north will affect how you view the trade of the Cities.
7. SEAN MARKS
The Nets GM has the runway to do another rebuild in Brooklyn. By all accounts, he hired a great young coach in Jordi Fernandez. If all goes well for the Nets, Fernandez will help build a winning culture from the ground up, where the players may come and go but the standards are unchanged. That did not happen during the Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving era Marks acknowledged that the culture established by 2019 has taken a hit during the Stars’ tenure.
Also on Marks’ plate for this season? Extracting value from some of the Nets’ veterans at the trade deadline. What can Dennis Schroeder command on the business market? Dorian Finney-Smith? could Cam Johnson bring back a good return? If Ben Simmons stays healthy and helps the Nets on the floor, maybe Marks can get a second round pick or two for him?
However it shakes out, the weeks leading up to the deadline will likely be a busy time for Brooklyn.
8. COOPER FLAG
Speaking of Brooklyn, it appears the Nets are among a number of teams looking to Waive the White Flag this season. Maybe they will become a Disgrace for Ace and take Rutgers’s. Ace Bailey in June’s NBA Draft?
I’m not suggesting the Nets – or any other franchise – lose games on purpose, but it’s in Brooklyn’s best interest to be bad this season.
Through the Mikal Bridges trades and others, the Nets have a minimum of 10 first-round picks over the next five drafts. If they can land their next face of the franchise in the 2025 or 2026 NBA Draft, Brooklyn will be well on its way to building another contender.
9. JOEL EMBIID/ANDRE DRUMMOND
Embiid wasn’t fully healthy and still had a huge first-round series against the Knicks last spring. The Sixers obviously hope to have Embiid healthy and in top shape for the 2025 postseason.
If that means resting him a few times during the regular season, Andrew Drummond‘s play will be something to watch in New York. In Drummond, the Sixers have a great backup for Embiid, and they beat out the Knicks (among other Drummond suitors) to get him.
If the Embiid/Drummond center squad works and if Paul George is healthy, the Sixers should win a lot of games this year.
10. DAMIAN LILLARD
Since we know what Boston is capable of, I think it’s worth keeping an eye on what’s going on in Milwaukee. If Damian Lillard is healthy and comfortable, the Bucks could be a very different team from the one we saw last season.
Lillard was able to practice the entire offseason this summer, as opposed to two summers ago, when he was limited due to trade negotiations. If the Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo pairing is effective, Milwaukee could be tough in the Eastern Conference.
