When Jalen Brunson was growing up, he apparently made his mother pack clothes, sneakers, and refreshments into a duffel bag in preparation for one-on-none games in his driveway.
This was one of many unsurprisingly endearing revelations from Sandra Brunson in her letter to her son in The Players' Tribune, published Tuesday ahead of the New York Knicks' season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers.
This offseason, the Knicks went through their first free agency in NBA history as the league's reigning champions. Sure, they lost Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics. In response, they signed the best center they could in Andre Drummond. And everything the Knicks have shown us about themselves since Brunson's arrival in the 2022 offseason indicates that they're ready to check ball and defend their title.
Brunson and Mikal Bridges turned 30 years old during their first offseason as reigning NBA Champions. OG Anunoby is 29 years old. Karl-Anthony Towns will turn 31 roughly a month into the 2026-27 season. Hart is 31. The second apron may have broken up the Knicks' championship-winning rotation, but it hasn't touched their starting lineup yet.
It's part of why they're primed to repeat as NBA Champions. The biggest reason, though, will continue to be that they're led by Brunson.
Knicks are betting 2nd Apron will balance out Robinson loss leaguewide
The Knicks proved last season that they're the class of the Eastern Conference.
The 76ers have to prove they have the defenders and overall depth to dethrone them. Even Nick Nurse agrees — he told reporters as much ahead of Tuesday night's game. The Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors are talented, too, but will each bring huge question marks of their own to the table.
The Oklahoma City Thunder lost several key pieces as a result of the same financial constraints that hurt New York. The rest of the Western Conference stayed largely the same. The San Antonio Spurs will be back, too, with added veteran leadership on and off the court. But they still have to prove that they can overcome the Knicks.
Mike Brown's team isn't going anywhere. And even though they'll be without Robinson, the vast majority of their title-winning core is still in blue and orange.
With the rest of the league struggling to maintain their depth, given governors' collective avoidance of the second apron like it's the plague, the Knicks have a real opportunity to repeat as league champions. Their entire starting five being in the midst of their athletic primes, returning, and being hungry for more should be all the foundation on which fans need to begin mounting their hopes and dreams for a repeat.
Jalen Brunson being the team's Captain once again, though, is the greatest reason of all. He's ready to lead the Knicks back to the top. And collect his second Finals MVP award — in just as many seasons — in the process.
If any team is going to end the league's streak of non-repeat champions, it's this one — led by this guard.
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