Playoff Prospects: Can The Knicks Hang With The Best Of The Best?

In this series, we’ll take a look at each NBA team that’s gunning for a deep playoff run. We’ll try to predict the players that will have the biggest impact, as well as the ceiling for each squad in the 2026 postseason.

Last season, the New York Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a quarter century. The Knicks fell short of the championship series, but entering the 2025-26 campaign, they were regarded by many as a top contender in a wide-open conference.

To the Knicks’ credit, they have lived up to that hype by hovering right around no. 2 and no. 3 in the standings for a number of months. The team also has a shot at surpassing last season’s 51-31 tally and finishing with their best record since the 2012-13 Knicks pulled off 54 wins.

However, there is reason to think that the Knicks fall short of bona fide title contention. In particular, they have struggled against other top-tier teams this season. In their five regular season games against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons and the defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder, the Knicks have gone 0-5. On top of this, the last time New York squared off against the San Antonio Spurs, they were blown out 114-89.

It’s one thing for the Knicks to play well against most teams in the NBA, and it’s another thing for them to prove their mettle against the best of the best. Can the Knicks erase all doubts about their viability as title contenders?

It’s not a stretch to say that where Jalen Brunson goes, the Knicks will go as well.

The squad’s captain is well-loved in the Big Apple, and for good reason. Brunson, the reigning Clutch Player of the Year, continues to be the Knicks’ most dependable asset in crunchtime. Night in and night out, the three-time All-Star sets the tone for the team’s rejigged offense under new head coach Mike Brown.

In the playoffs, Brunson’s offensive array (which includes shifty drives to the basket and a deadly pull-up jumper) becomes even more valuable as opposing teams look to slow the pace down. The challenge, as always, will be for Brunson to balance getting his own buckets and feeding other scorers like Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby.

Can Brunson get his old college buddy going as well?

There are a number of reasons behind Stephen A Smith’s vitriol towards Mikal Bridges. The 6-foot-6 guard’s field goal attempts and percentage are down, and his scoring is the lowest it’s been in four years. At his very best, though, Bridges is a reliable weapon on both ends of the floor, doing the dirty work of locking up ball-handlers on the perimeter while also getting buckets of his own.

Along with Anunoby and Josh Hart, Bridges forms the nucleus of the Knicks’ multifaceted defense that can switch multiple positions. Indeed, there’s a variety of ways through which Bridges can make an impact in the playoffs.

The Knicks look like they’ll finish as the no. 3 team in the East, which will likely put them on a collision course with the Philadelphia 76ers. With homecourt advantage and the confidence of a team that made it to a conference final last year, New York should be able to advance past the Sixers.

Once the Knicks reach the Eastern Conference semis, a feeling of déjà vu might occur as they take on the Boston Celtics, their second-round opponent last year. Whereas the Knicks got the better of the Celtics in 2025 (winning a seven-game series after Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles), Boston looks closer to championship form than New York does at this point. 

This series could go the distance, but the Knicks could see their demise at the hands of the Celtics.