NBA 2025-26 power rankings: Where Knicks stand among league’s best
NY Post
Nearly two weeks after Oklahoma City ascended to the NBA throne, a slew of big names have switched teams in trades and the first week of free agency to alter the landscape of the contenders chasing the Thunder in the league’s pecking order.
There also are zero head coaching openings after the Knicks hired Mike Brown this week, making this a good time to update The Post’s NBA power rankings, with more moves sure to follow over the rest of the summer.
OKC validated its 68-win regular season by capturing the franchise’s first title since relocating from Seattle in 2008. The Thunder have a strong chance to add more rings with a stellar core of league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Willians, Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort all 26 or younger.
Houston has improved from 22 to 41 to 52 wins in the first two seasons under Ime Udoka, and they went all-in by trading for Kevin Durant to attempt to challenge in the West after losing to the Warriors in the first round.
Kenny Atkinson earned Coach of the Year honors in Year 1 with a 64-18 campaign and the top seed in the East, but this group — fronted by Donovan Mitchell and DPOY Evan Mobley — still hasn’t gotten past the second round of the playoffs. This is their window with the drastically changing landscape in the East because of injuries.
The same goes for the Knicks after the team’s first trip to the conference finals since 2000. They are banking on Brown getting them there after firing Tom Thibodeau, and they’ve brought in a couple of needed bench pieces — Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele — behind All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
PORT ST. LUCIE — For now, Craig Kimbrel is choosing Mets purgatory.
‘Freak of nature: Zion Williamson’s resurgence could pose a Knicks problem versus motivated Pelicans
Zion Williamson is slimmer and healthier for his trip to MSG.
Don’t blame Mikal Bridges for his paltry stats. Blame the role.
Almost a year to the day after a goaltender interference call against Kyle Palmieri lost the Islanders a game against the Blue Jackets that started their season’s death spiral, they were on the wrong end of another controversial call against those same Blue Jackets that might have had the same effect.
On the Queens side of town, the reno began in earnest almost as soon as Francisco Lindor grounded into the 4-6-3 double play. That ended a 4-0 loss before a rare sizable crowd at Miami’s loanDepot Park last Sept. 27, all of them there to witness the final death rattles of an epic baseball calamity.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is being paid handsomely for his breakout season.
Next comes the harder part. Mostly because it can’t get any easier.
It was Kids Day at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, but for the Rangers, it’s been All About The Kids for months.
PORT ST. LUCIE — From the moment he was told he needed surgery on his left hamate bone, Francisco Lindor fixated on the recovery time. Trainers provided the Mets shortstop a six-week pathway to return to play, and Lindor was determined to hit every marker.
Dylan Garand knew the number off the top of his head. He knew that, between the regular season and playoffs, he’d logged over 160 games with AHL Hartford, and he was right. Before the Rangers recalled him Friday, Garand had served as the Wolf Pack’s goaltender 165 times.
SAN DIEGO — As you may have seen elsewhere in this newspaper (and also if you haven’t deleted me yet from your social media), I have a book coming out Tuesday called “The Bosses of The Bronx.” Much of it details the 37 years’ worth of antics, winning, losing, winning again and overall mania of George Steinbrenner’s time with the Yankees.
Don’t close the curtain on “Mean” Joe Greene.
The Knicks are on a five-game winning streak and flooded with concerns.