The New York Knicks had one hell of a season this year. And many even believe that they might have gone the distance had they not been plagued by so many injuries. Hoping to come back stronger next season, the Knicks front office has made multiple moves to improve the roster so that they are well-equipped to make a run for the Championship. However, their star guard Josh Hart believes that his team will not become title favorites even if they add multiple former MVPs to their roster because of one specific reason.

Addressing the massive free agency moves so far on the Roommates Show, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were asked if the power has shifted in the East with more star players joining the Conference. However, Brunson did not agree with that notion, “A shift? No. It’s more competitive on paper right now. But like, everyone’s going for Boston.”

With Philly adding Paul George and the Knicks adding Mikal Bridges, the teams in the East have definitely improved in the last few days. But the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics, still remain the team to beat. And that will be the case until they are dethroned. Backing Brunson’s point, Josh Hart made an even bigger claim: “I think that’s what it is. Today, everyone’s chasing Boston. Like whether it’s like we could have like went and signed, you know, I don’t know, Jokic, Bron, KD. Like, you’re still chasing Boston. They’re the champs like trying to chase them. So, that’s kind of what everyone in the East is doing. But, he’s going to be you now, obviously like JB says, it’s going to be more competitive because a bunch of teams got better”. 

But Brunson had an even more beautiful point to make. He stated the significance the front offices hold right now in the off-season, for shaping up the teams and their commanding presence on the court later when the season begins. “We’re all chasing Boston. We have to, I mean. They won at an elite level, the way they played. And so, we gotta figure out obviously without being on the court right now, how can we be able to beat them? And that’s in the hand of the front office, and then once the season starts, it’s in our hands. Yeah, they set the blueprint for right now.” 

Truly, everyone’s designing their teams right now to beat the reigning champions. It’s not that the addition of LeBron, Durant, or Jokic wouldn’t make the Knicks significantly better, but every team’s primary target will still remain the Celtics because they proved this year that they are the best team in the league. And this has always been the trajectory, be it during the Warriors dynasty or the Miami Heat Big 3 era. The champs are always the hunted. So where exactly are the Knicks in this pursuit?

Where do the Knicks stand in the East?

Although Hart and Brunson firmly believe that the Boston Celtics are the top dogs in the league right now, they will be confident that they can turn things around next season, especially after the moves the Knicks front office has made so far. And very clearly the biggest move for them was adding Mikal Bridges to the roster via a trade with the Nets and teaming all four Villanova boys together. Having won multiple National titles with Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo in college, Bridges has proven chemistry with the Knicks’ core.

Moreover, he is a superstar-caliber player who helped the Suns reach the finals three years ago. Even this season, despite being on a mediocre Nets team, Bridges averaged nearly twenty points while shooting 37.2% from deep range. But what will help the Knicks even more is his lockdown perimeter defense and his reliable health, as Bridges has never missed a game in his six-year career. Meanwhile, the Knicks also secured OG Anunoby with a five-year extension, making their defense extremely strong for next season.

Even JB agreed that the purpose of pairing up OG and Bridges was to stop the lethal duo of Tatum and Brown. However, the Knicks did lose some major pieces like Isaiah Hartenstein to OKC and Bojan Bogdanovic to the Nets. So, they still need a reliable big man to protect their paint and make them impenetrable on the defensive end. But the off-season is long and there is still time for the Knicks to upgrade their roster and be prepared for when they clash with the reigning champions next season.