Target championship, Towns and Bridges will push the Knicks further in the new season

The New York Knicks entered the 2025-26 season with high expectations, with the team having Jaylen Brunson, the top ten player in the league. They just changed to a coach Tom Thibodeau, who many people think is hindering them, and Mike Brown, a coach known for being more creative.

But the main reason for optimism is that Carl Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges are entering their second season with the team, which means they will be more comfortable and familiar with their teammates and what they expect from them.

Carl-Anthony Towns will have better second year than the first year

Downs may have more advantages to exploit than Bridges. First, he was often lost in the team's offense last season—although that also applies to Bridges. But it is even more puzzling to understand the importance of Towns to New York’s success.

Specifically, Towns lasted for a relatively long time without participating in the team's offense. Most of this is based on the lineup. According to statistics, Towns performed a bit inefficiently with other starters every hundred rounds.

Downs was traded to the Knicks at the start of last season, which undermined his ability to adapt to his teammates and his role on the team. Remember, Towns joined 20 days before the start of the season.

Although considering that the big man of the All-American team was not traded at his peak, it is difficult to find similar situations for Towns in the 2024-25 season, there are some similar situations. First, it was Shaquille O'Neal, but he was obviously more dominant than Towns.

While O'Neal's deal to the Los Angeles Lakers was the first deal I thought of involving a Hall of Famer, he was more relevant to the Miami Heat's deal. O'Neal was at his peak when O'Neal's trade occurred.

Heat were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in the division finals in the first year after joining O'Neal. However, the Heat won the championship the following season. Of course, O'Neal's data line took a hit that year. But O'Neal and his teammates have benefited greatly from building a strong rapport throughout the season.

In addition to Towns benefiting from increased familiarity with teammates, coach Mike Brown can also help Towns get more. Sabonis has been selected twice as All-Stars before working with Brown. However, a closer look reveals that Brown helped Sabonis develop after joining the Sacramento Kings as head coach. Brown scored a career-high 61.5% shooting percentage in his first season as a coach. He has also achieved and maintained a career-high three-point shooting percentage since playing under Brown. He also strengthened his rebounding. And most importantly, he was selected into the All-Squad twice under Brown's leadership.

Perhaps Mike Brown is better than Tom Thibodeau in maximizing his big men. If so, maybe he could let Towns play more stably offensively or put in more effort on the defensive end.

Micar Bridges' second year will help the team improve, and Towns is not the only Knicks who have failed to integrate with his New York teammates. The same is true for Bridges, but the situation is different.

Bridges scored a poor hit rate of 43/29/67 in November 2024, which was the first month of several games. His shot was so bad that many people thought he was done. He averaged under 15 points in November, a bad month Bridges has never done in 10 or more games since December 2022. It's hard for him to master his role.

As the season progresses, Bridges is becoming more and more familiar with it. He became more satisfied with his chances, even if he wasn't completely satisfied with his playing time. Like Towns, he has performed well when playing with role players, especially in the playoffs. He successfully demonstrated his ability to be the team's main organizer when Brunson was resting or injured. He even found his defense in the playoffs.

Bridges was the Brooklyn Nets' No. 1 pick in the 2023-24 season, and his role was more single for most of the Phoenix Suns. It is understandable that Bridges had a hard time understanding what he was suitable for. But with a deeper understanding of what people expect from him, Bridges is ready for an influential season.

Downs and Bridges will have better seasons as they are more familiar with teammates and roles, respectively. That alone should help the Knicks take the next step and potentially rush out of the East to the finals stage, or even win the championship. Of course, there may be many problems from now until the beginning of next year, but nothing can be solved. The Knicks' lineup has not been so strong for many years, so let's wait and see.