Last season was awfully kind to the New York Knicks. Led by a star-studded roster, New York won 53 games to secure the third seed in the Eastern Conference. From there, they dominated: the Knicks went 16-3 in the playoffs, culminating in a 4-1 Finals win over the dangerous San Antonio Spurs. It was the franchise’s first NBA championship in more than 50 years. Now they face the monumental task of running it back to defend their title. But first things first, they have to get through the regular season. How will the Knicks perform relative to their win-total expectations?
Knicks Win Total Projection
Here’s a look at the Knicks’ projected win total on the DraftKings Sportsbook:
Our oddsmakers have the Knicks more or less repeating their last regular season. That’s not unreasonable; they have about the same roster, but they’ll be playing in a stronger Eastern Conference with a target on their back. To better understand this projection, we have to look back at their offseason first.
Knicks 2026-27 Offseason Summary
IN: C Andre Drummond
OUT: C Mitchell Robinson, C Ariel Hukporti
RE-SIGNED: G Landry Shamet, G Jordan Clarkson, G Jose Alvarado, G/F Mohamed Diawara
Nothing out of the ordinary happened for the New York Knicks in the offseason. Owner James Dolan made it clear the team wouldn’t go into the second apron, effectively confirming Mitchell Robinson’s departure. The oft-injured center is a monster rebounder and a strong defensive presence, but the team didn’t feel comfortable risking second-apron penalties to re-sign him. With third-string big Ariel Hukporti also leaving, the Knicks’ big task was to add backup bigs.
Andre Drummond is far from the All-Star he once was, but he can still make a big impact on the glass. Last season, the 33-year-old was a 93rd-percentile offensive rebounder and a 96th-percentile defensive rebounder, according to Cleaning the Glass. He can’t replicate Robinson’s vertical spacing or his rim protection, but he won’t be a downgrade on the glass.
Retaining their bench guard group was important. Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado had big playoff moments for the Knicks and signed below-market deals to return. Jordan Clarkson isn’t much of an on-court presence these days, but provides the team with important veteran leadership. The Mohamed Diawara contract may be a steal for New York: he signed a four-year deal on a salary barely above the minimum. The 21-year-old oozes potential as a super-athletic combo forward; if his ball-handling translates with his size and defense, he could be an important rotation piece sooner rather than later.
Now that we have an idea of what this Knicks team will look like, let’s decide whether or not they can clear their win total.
Knicks 2026-27 Regular-Season Win Total Pick
Here’s a big problem for the Knicks: they stayed the same while so many East teams got better.
Philadelphia miraculously added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in a single offseason. The Toronto Raptors swapped Brandon Ingram, arguably their biggest flaw, for Kawhi Leonard. Boston added Mitchell Robinson while keeping a fully healthy Jayson Tatum. And the Indiana Pacers are back in the fray now that Tyrese Haliburton is healthy.
The Knicks will by no means be tumbling down the standings. But a lot had to go right last year for them to win 53 games, especially considering their injury luck as one of the league’s healthiest teams. Robinson’s loss, a Finals hangover, the East’s improvement up and down, and the potential for negative injury regression all threaten their chance to repeat last season’s win total. I’ll roll them back a couple of games for some extra juice and cap their ceiling at 50 wins.
