If there was ever a time for New York Knicks fans to consider purchasing a vintage Tim Legler jersey from his NBA playing days, it’s right now.
With 2025-26 NBA season win totals starting to get more broadly dropped, the Knicks’ over/under is naturally a hot debate topic. Projections almost universally have them ticketed for more victories than the 51 they picked up last year, typically settling in somewhere between 53 and 56. That’s a high bar. Not everyone thinks they’re going to clear it.
Legler does.
“I’m going to take the ‘over’ with the Knicks,” the ESPN analyst said on a recent episode of the All NBA Podcast (at around the 35:38 mark). “That’s a big number. You’re talking about them getting to 55, 56 wins, 57. That’s a lot, but I’m still going to take the ‘over.’ Because they’re, to me, the most known quantity that we have right now—the most known entity in the Eastern Conference, probably, besides the Cavs.”
This final point is spot-on. There may be more depth to the East than people realize, but the breadth of question marks is overwhelming.
The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are mystery boxes without their best players. Nobody knows what to expect from the Milwaukee Bucks after a busy offseason, and with the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo still up in the air. Both the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic deepened the top of their rotations, but prominent integrations can take time. The Miami Heat got better, but probably not enough to bridge the 14-win gap separating them from New York.
Here is why Legler is so high on the Knicks
It isn’t just the state of the East that has Legler waxing optimism for these Knicks. It’s the Knicks themselves. Specifically, he seems pretty high on the additions of Jordan Clarkson and head coach Mike Brown.
“I like Mike Brown a lot. I think he’s going to be somebody who connects with these guys. I think they’re going to play for him. And I think he’s got a really smart mind for the ways he can clean up some things defensively for this team. I like their starting lineup a lot. I don’t like their depth as much. They did add Jordan Clarkson, which is a nice pickup. What he does, and how he does it, they’re going to have somebody [who they can put the ball] in his hands. They didn’t have much beside Brunson a year ago. Now, they’ve got another guy, who they can just put the ball in his hands, and let him go, and he can flat-out score.”
It’d be interesting to know which version of New York’s starting five Legler likes. Last year’s opening-tip staple was underwhelming. The Knicks have since hinted at running it back, or replacing Josh Hart with Mitchell Robinson in a double-big setup with Karl-Anthony Towns. Beginning games with Deuce McBride in Hart’s stead should also be on the table.
There is no arguing against Legler’s point on Clarkson. The Knicks’ on-ball creation beyond Jalen Brunson last season was an unmitigated disaster. Clarkson is not the most efficient player, but he ranked inside the 91st percentile last year of half-court shot creation, according to BBall-Index.
In a nutshell, Legler’s optimism is well-warranted. Winning noticeably more games than last season won’t be easy with more variables in play, particularly if the Knicks don’t enjoy as much availability from OG Anunoby. But New York is nothing if not talented enough to clear the 55-win threshold for the first time since 1994-95.