The 2026 NBA Champion New York Knicks are running back the vast majority of their title-winning roster. Even after Mitchell Robinson's departure to the Boston Celtics, they have a level of continuity that freshly-assembled teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors won't bring with them into the regular season.
On paper, the Indiana Pacers may not currently represent the biggest threat to the Knicks' hopes of defending their title. They do, however, show exactly why New York can't afford to take this year's regular season for granted. After going 19-63 last season, Kelly Oubre Jr. was the Pacers' only notable offseason addition. But the return of Tyrese Haliburton (and debut as Zubac's point guard) is a superstar acquisition of its own.
If the Knicks want homecourt advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs, again, they can't overlook the hungry squad that beat them in back-to-back postseasons. After all, they're banking on the same exact trait as New York — continuity.
Knicks must watch out for Eastern threats relying on same edge as them
On paper, the Indiana Pacers have very few weaknesses. They have one of the 10 best players in the league in Haliburton; they have one of the 20 best players in Pascal Siakam; a proven, championship-winning coach in Rick Carlisle who plays to his team's strengths; and complementary depth around their star duo in both their starting lineup and bench unit.
The Pacers also have continuity, much like the Knicks. They aren't running back a title-winning roster, but they found a way to replace Myles Turner and have the kind of team capable of another deep run.
Their biggest problem lies in the standings. The Eastern Conference was already the better of the two. With LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard projected to hop on over next year, the gap will be even wider. If the conference's top dogs hold up, several of the Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Atlanta Hawks will miss the postseason entirely.
The Detroit Pistons added shooting, but at the cost of already-scarce scoring. The Boston Celtics lost Jaylen Brown, but got Paul George in return — and added Robinson. And the flattened lottery odds disincentivized tanking, leaving young teams like the Brooklyn Nets in search of veterans to provide structure and talent.
The Knicks won't have an easy path to reclaiming homecourt advantage. They replaced Robinson's offensive rebounding and defensive impact with Drummond's offensive rebounding, in hopes it'll be enough in a league where just one of 30 teams—the Denver Nuggets—projects to enter next season over the second apron.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, on the other hand, just traded Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, and Lu Dort to Eastern Conference teams to reduce their tax bill. But Indiana isn't coming off of NBA titles like OKC and NY. They're relying on continuity to help them translate synergy into wins.
Pacers' season will be defined by their answer to a huge question
The Pacers almost won that 2025 title over the Thunder, but Tyrese Haliburton suffered his Achilles injury early in Game 7. Now that they've re-tooled, can Haliburton look like himself once again? That will define Indiana's season more than any other factor, including the strength of their bench.
As much as they've been ridiculed for trading a pick that conveyed to the Los Angeles Clippers as the draft's 5th overall selection, it bought them time to integrate Zubac into their system and prepare him to serve as Haliburton's roll-man. Someone like Yaxel Lendeborg would've been an incredible fit, but which pivot at center would fit better with Haliburton and Siakam in that same Carlisle system?
If Haliburton can bounce back from his Achilles tear looking like his 2024 self, the Pacers have a chance to make some noise in the Eastern Conference. If their bench unit proves strong enough, which internal development from a player like Jarace Walker could help, they could even rise to contending status.
Brown's Knicks might not be as susceptible to Indiana's style of play. The head coach just rode a willingness to drop everything he thought he knew, if his initial plans aren't working, to an NBA Championship.
Haliburton, however, is the exact kind of cerebral guard that has proven to win titles. Jalen Brunson and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are two excellently skilled examples from the last two seasons. The Knicks certainly earned their status as the "hunted" with a historic playoff run. But it's unlikely that the Pacers get washed away in their quest for vengeance, even in an incredibly competitive Eastern conference.
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