As the calendar turns to 2026, resolutions are being made across the globe for the next 12 months, hoping to accomplish in the new year what couldn’t be done prior. For the Knicks and their fans, there’s only one resolution that really needs to come true in this high-stakes 2026, but we’ve put together five for the franchise to tackle anyway.
Win Jalen Brunson the MVP award
To be clear, head coach Mike Brown, Brunson and the rest of the team have done all they can here. Brunson’s having a career year, averaging just under 30 points and seven assists on efficient shooting numbers, while the Knicks are streaking towards the top of their conference and one of the best records in basketball.
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If not for the generational juggernaut in Oklahoma City, Brunson would already be a serious contender here. Brown’s spent multiple press conferences trying to garner appropriate hype that just hasn’t come.
More needs to be done: Brunson just came in third in the East in All-Star fan voting when he should be a face of the league. This is a call on the Knicks organization and greater New York elite to step up, get the propaganda machine turning and expend whatever political and economic capital they have to get this man the respect he deserves.
Add depth at the trade deadline
It’s all or nothing for the Knicks now, the far-and-away favorites to come out of the East and potentially capture the franchise’s first championship in over a half-century. From top to bottom the franchise has operated with that view in recent years, trading the star player and firing the head coach that set off this very rebuild in pursuit of glory.
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That means they shouldn’t be getting conservative around 2026’s trade deadline, the last chance the Knicks will get to upgrade their roster before the postseason hunt. Leon Rose and company haven’t been shy about making midseason moves, and everybody outside of the core rotation should be treated as expendable.
It’s unlikely we see a ground-shaking move like acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo or even an All-Star level player, but the Knicks should be able to package enough assets to bring in another real contributor. In the playoffs, every bit of margin helps.
Get Mikal Bridges attacking the rim
Coming into this season and early on thus far, it looked like we were getting a more aggressive Bridges — one unafraid of contact or attacking the rim. This was an enticing prospect because when he plays like this he’s able to really utilize his creation and his game goes to another level.
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While he’s still driving towards the rim, putting together big scoring nights and showing more tenacity defensively, he’s regressed back to not looking at the cup when he gets into the paint. By way of comparison, he had 33 free throws in the first 17 games and has had seven in the 15 since (entering play on Wednesday).
The resolution for Bridges should be avoiding another clip of him turning down open layups for fading jumpers or a kickout.
Get Karl-Anthony Towns to ignore the officials
One would think Knicks fans would have gotten used to their score-first star second-fiddle big man living and dying with their emotions, but some are seemingly re-learning the Julius Randle lesson with Towns. In their defense, KAT has been too focused on the officials this season and it’s affected his play at times.
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In his defense, the worst whistle in basketball appears to only have gotten worse. But he’s talented enough to play through it, and once he’s more focused on the game than the refs, they’ll start sending more calls his way.
Towns’ resolution will be to try and contain some of that fire that’s made him so special since joining the league, the Knicks, and will make him an All-Star once again this season.
Win the NBA Championship
2026 should be a year of lofty, ambitious goals, and there’s no greater bar to clear for this Knicks team. It’s no doubt been the resolution of many of their players long before this New Year’s, but it’ll be the same one atop everybody’s list this time around.
