As the Philadelphia 76ers are having a productive offseason, acquiring Jaylen Brown and LeBron James to revamp their roster, the defending-champion New York Knicks remain the East favorites for the upcoming season.
Speaking to UnitedWeCast with Ric Bucher and Brendan Haywood, the Knicks are still the team to beat because of their experience and chemistry built last season.
“I think the most meaningful team is obviously the defending champions. When you look at the New York Knicks, they have the chemistry. They’ve proven they have a proven concept. They’ve proven that they can win it. They have Jalen Brunson. You have Carl Anthony Towns,” Haywood said.
However, the Knicks have failed to sustain their championship roster after missing out on Mitchell Robinson, who signed with the Boston Celtics this offseason.
“Obviously, they lost some players and they’re going to they’re going to really miss Mitchell Robinson. But I think the New York Knicks right now have to be the favorites in the Eastern Conference for sure,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bucher explained how important Robinson is for New York, especially its role in their championship run, which one of the stoppers of the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama.
“Mitchell Robinson is a tough loss. I don’t think it’s any accident. The Boston Celtics went and got Mitchell Robinson. I think they recognized the value of I want to phrase this correctly. Like I don’t want to say journeyman big man, workman-like big men, like the big man, the dirty work,” Bucher said.
Despite Mitchell’s departure, New York’s recent championship campaign could be carried into the next season, with Jalen Brunson still leading the charge.
“So that to me is why I think there’s any questions about the Knicks is that they did lose what we consider a vital piece, but they have all that collective experience now, and I don’t put it past them to find somebody serviceable to fill that role at some point,” Bucher added.
Robinson averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 19.6 minutes per game during the previous season.
