After a summer celebrating the franchise’s first NBA Championship in 53 years, the New York Knicks will officially start their title defense on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. And because of that iconic moment, the new campaign will feel far different than years past.

The standard remains high for this talented roster. However, there is much less pressure after this team was able to bring New York back to the basketball mountaintop in June. Nevertheless, the Knicks have championship aspirations in the 2026-27 season.

Ahead of raising the title banner before their game on opening night, we make five bold Knicks predictions for the new season.

Karl-Anthony Towns will average a career-best six assists a game

The Knicks went from a team in danger of an early playoff exit to one of the most dominant in NBA playoff history when they altered the offense and made Towns a primary ball handler at the top of the key. The big man loved the role, and coaches claimed after the season that they only scratched the surface of how good that offensive look can be.

With the team expected to use this offensive approach heavily in the new season, and Towns invested in it, expect the big man to post a new career high in assists as he sacrifices shots to get his teammates better looks.

OG Anunoby will make his first trip to the All-Star Game

Anunoby has long seemed on the cusp of being an All-Star-level player. However, injuries or not being a go-to scoring option have limited his potential. That will change in the 2026-27 season.

With Towns continuing as a primary ball handler on offense and shooting less, far more scoring opportunities will emerge for the forward. Knicks fans saw what that could look like during the spring when Anunoby was the team’s MVP throughout the postseason. It should lead to Anunoby being a first-time All-Star in the new campaign.

New York Knicks will be hit by a major injury in 2026-27

One of the key elements in the Knicks’ magical playoff run last season was health. While they dealt with injuries during the regular season, getting extra rest in between their playoff series allowed them to treat nagging injuries and bring them a championship in June.

However, players like OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns have had injury problems during their careers, and one has to wonder if the extra miles put on Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart’s bodies after deep playoff runs the last few years will catch up to them.

It would not be a surprise if the luck ran out and one of the team’s star players suffered a major injury during the 2026-27 season.

NY Knicks will not finish with the top seed in the Eastern Conference

The Knicks have been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference for the last few years. However, they have only finished with the one-seed twice in franchise history. While it is great to have home-court advantage, it is not a necessity.

New York will look to stay as healthy as possible for another title run in the spring. That, along with the Eastern Conference being far better this year, will mean 2026-27 is another season where they don’t finish at the top of the conference standings.

Landry Shamet will be in contention for the Sixth Man of the Year Award

The Knicks have had three players win the Sixth Man Award. Anthony Mason in 1994–95, John Starks in 1996–97, and JR Smith in 2012–13. After gaining confidence as a key member of the bench and a new multi-year contract, look for Landry Shamet to be a contender for the award in 2026-27.

He showed during the playoffs that he is one of the league’s better three-point threats. However, he also brings rock-solid defense and hustle. That combination of skills will get him in contention for the award in his eighth season.