Jalen Brunson is making it clear that the New York Knicks cannot carry last season’s success into 2026-27 as if it guarantees anything.
After leading New York to its first NBA championship since 1973 and earning Finals MVP honors, Brunson said the team’s mindset has to be built around starting over rather than defending what it already accomplished. The Knicks closed their title run by beating the San Antonio Spurs in five games, with Brunson scoring 45 points in the clincher.
“We have to kind of act like we didn’t win anything—we have to quickly turn the page,” Brunson said.
His message is simple: last season’s banner has no impact on this season’s work.
“What we won last year has nothing to do with this year,” Brunson said. “We just don’t want to sit there and be like, hey, we won last year so we’re going to just snap our fingers and do it again.”
That approach fits with the way Brunson has spoken about the championship throughout the offseason. Rather than treating the title as the defining achievement of his career, he has repeatedly emphasized that there is still more to prove and more basketball ahead.
The danger, in Brunson’s view, is complacency.
“It’s easy to feel confident and feel that sense of entitlement because of what we did, but we need to quickly turn the page,” he said.
Jalen Brunson explains why coming off a historic season means the team has to act like they won nothing and put the work in again
“We have to kind of act like we didn’t win anything—we have to quickly turn the page.”
“What we won last year has nothing to do with this year.”
“We just don’t want to sit there and be like, hey, we won last year so we’re going to just snap our fingers and do it again.”
“It’s easy to feel confident and feel that sense of entitlement because of what we did, but we need to quickly turn the page.”
[ via @Roommates__Show ft @jalenbrunson1 / #knicks ]
— CulturedUpdatez (@CulturedUpdatez) October 16, 2026
That is especially relevant for a Knicks team entering the season with a much different kind of pressure. New York is no longer trying to prove it can reach the top. It is now the defending champion, meaning every opponent will see a matchup with the Knicks as an opportunity to measure itself against the league’s reigning standard.
Brunson understands that last year’s success can only become useful if it creates better habits rather than comfort. The championship belongs to the past. The work required to win another one starts from zero.
