The New York Knicks are hoping and praying for a successful 2025-26 season, and there’s no reason why they can’t have another history-making year. Last season, the team almost made it to the championship, but fell short. With new head coach Mike Brown in the fold, hopefully this will mark the year that they actually go all the way.
This week, a lot of focus has been on the team locking in Mikal Bridges with a $150 million deal, putting Bridges is on track to be league’s 51st-highest paid player, according to Spotrac, when his deal begins during the 2026-27 season. But, some Knicks fans are also looking at the rest of the league and the choices that they’re making.
One New York Knicks rival player who fans used to fear has fallen quite a bit, and that makes those in the Big Apple happy.
New York Knicks Fans Don’t Have to Fear
In a piece published on Saturday, Aug. 2, by Mikail Nakhuda of The Daily Knicks, Nakhuda points out that at one point, Knicks fans really feared their rival team’s star player. We’re talking about Joel Embiid of the 76ers.
“There was a time when New York Knicks fans looked at Joel Embiid with a mix of frustration and envy and thought, ‘How on earth are we going to game plan for this guy?’ Those days are over,” he notes in the piece. “Now? Most are just shaking their heads at how many Philadelphia 76ers fans are still clinging to the idea that he will carry them anywhere.”
GettyDonte DiVincenzo #0 of the New York Knicks blocks Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half of game six of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on May 02, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In the piece, Nakhuda adds that he believes Embiid’s days as a star player are up, not because he isn’t good but because he’s not staying healthy. “He played just 19 games last season before being completely shut down with a lingering left knee issue,” Nakhuda states.
He adds, “That same knee underwent surgery in April, Embiid’s second procedure on it in just over a year. When he is on the court, he is still elite, but that is becoming the rare exception, not the rule.”
The New York Knicks Are Forging Ahead
There’s no denying that the 76ers are struggling without Embiid. That’s what happens when a franchise loses their star player. The team was 24-58 last season, and they haven’t even made the playoffs since 2017.
“Without Embiid on the floor, the structure falls apart,” Nakhuda states. “With him, it is a question of how long it will last.”
The nice thing about what’s going on with the New York Knicks is that the team is solidifying their already strong roster under Brown.
The team is “quietly putting together a great roster with a real shot at a championship,” Nakhuda states. “They have added some great frontcourt help in Guershon Yabusele, they acquired a bench scorer in Jordan Clarkson, and they even brought in a new coach in Mike Brown. The best part of the Knicks squad is that it is built on actual availability, effort and fit.”
So, the Knicks are putting together a great roster while some of their rivals are depending on players from the past.
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