Overview

• Team insiders project Mike Brown will open with Mitchell Robinson in the starting five and lean on a deeper nine‑man rotation to bolster defense.
• Karl-Anthony Towns discussed a two-hour first meeting with Brown and said the Knicks have a real chance to contend for a championship.
• ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins publicly pressed Towns on conditioning and pick‑and‑roll defense, framing the All‑NBA big as under pressure to deliver.
• New York strengthened its bench with Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, and it retains one veteran‑minimum slot linked by reporters to targets such as Malcolm Brogdon, Russell Westbrook and Ben Simmons.
• A survey of more than 3,000 Knicks fans reflected sky‑high expectations for 2025‑26, even as one forecast projects a repeat of last season’s 51 wins.