Which Knicks Players Have the Most to Prove in 2026–27? | NY Got Game

Welcome back to another edition of New York Got Game. It's your boy Dexter Henry. The Knicks, as we know, they've got their championship after 53 years of waiting and right now, can't believe it, we are just a few weeks away from the start of training camp. But, got a question. Which players still have the most to prove this coming season? It's a very interesting question for Knicks fans. Whether it could be earning a role, it could be finding consistency, which some players are trying to do, or solidifying a future here in New York. There's plenty to discuss as the Knicks prepare to defend their title. So, to help me answer that question, I'm joined by my good friend. He is the host of the Orange and Blue Bloods podcast. You also hear him on WFAN. It's my guy, EJ Stewart, joining me back on New York Got Game. EJ, what's going on, man? Oh, Dex, it's so good to be back. So good to be back talking Knicks, especially as the defending champs. That's a different feeling, but I like the feeling. You know what? It is. It is a different feeling, because all my returning guests, like yourself, it's nice. Now they can talk about the Knicks as champions, and we were talking about this before we started recording, how different it feels this season to just create content around this team, knowing that they've reached the mountaintop and now they're trying to defend it. So, just to let people know, what we're going to do here today is we're going to look at our three Knicks. EJ's got his three. I have my three. We don't know what it is that have the most to prove this season. We're going to look at what's at stake, what success looks like, and we're also going to look at who we trust to answer that call and rise to the occasion to answer those questions. So, we're going to do that. So, EJ, before we get into our three, we do have some questions, because winning a championship, it does answer the biggest question anyone has about any team, right? It's the biggest question, can they win this? But, when you look at the individual players heading into this season, how much does that championship change what they still have to prove to, maybe, whether it's Knicks fans, whether it's ourselves, whether it's the organization, how much does a championship change all that? It changes a lot. I mean, a lot of guys' legacies on this team have been drastically altered by simply winning one championship. I mean, Jalen Brunson now goes down as one of the greatest point guards of all time. Carlton Towns, maybe a walking Hall of Famer now, given his statistics, given now that he's a champion, given how well he played in the postseason. Guys like OG and Mikael Bridges now, once again, kind of look at some of the best, you know, superstar role players, so to speak, in the NBA. A lot of guys' outlooks, especially the guys that played a bunch and were key factors of this team, their whole dynamic of how they're viewed, not just within the context of this current NBA, but in the history of the NBA, has changed drastically, which is why this is such an interesting conversation to be talking about players and pressure and stuff to prove, because typically, as you said, the thing to prove always is can you win a championship? So once you've done that, it changes the whole dynamic of how the question gets framed, which is why I'm so looking forward to seeing your list, because I had not trouble coming with mine, but I had to really think, but I had to think about three players, but I do think that these three guys are guys coming in with a considerable amount of proof coming into the season. So as we try to do that, right, as we try to examine which Nick player has the most to prove, because that is the question we're trying to ask here, does most to prove, right, when you when you talk about most to prove, does that mean for you securing a role, showing greater consistency, or is it about establishing your long-term future? It could be all three, but I'm just curious, how do you look at it when you talk about most to prove for a Knicks player? Yeah, for me, honestly, it's going to be a case-by-case basis. I think for some guys, it's going to be an ability to show that they can stay in the league. For some guys, it's going to be maybe their last opportunity to win a championship. I don't want to spoil my pick, but in some ways, that's the maybe the case with some guys on this team, some new players on this team, and then for others, it's going to be guys that are maybe looking for a long-term future, whether it's with the Knicks or some other team, and some money be made. But for many guys on this team, when we think about what they had to prove this year, they kind of all have like almost individual side missions and individual goals that they're going to be looking for that you hope is going to end up cohesively connecting with the team goal, of course, which is to try to repeat. That's always the thing, right, is you got a collection of individuals. Can what those guys are bringing to the table and what those guys are trying to accomplish in their careers and their seasons, can that all culminate into the team achieving their ultimate goal, which is to be back-to-back champion. I love what you said there, because there is always that individual, especially in a basketball team, right, not a huge, not like football where you have a 53-man roster. These individual side quests and how they then go into the team, it matters, right? Does it take away from the team? Does it hurt the team in any kind of way? Does it help the team? There's all these things that can happen. I agree with you that it's a case-by-case basis, and I tried to do that with my list here. So, okay, here's what we're going to do, folks. We're going to each rank and select our three nicks. We're going to go from three to one that we believe has the most to prove this coming season, right? And what we're going to try to do, what we're going to try to establish, is just ask the question, what specifically does this player need to prove? What are the stakes that this player has? So, why does it matter to the player and the team, as EJ just brought up, and then the standards? So, like, what would a successful answer to the actually look like if they get this done? All right, EJ, we are going to start with you at number three. I'm so intrigued. If we have overlap, I'm not going to say until after you've done with it. I will say if we do have overlap. So, who's third on your list? What do you need to see from him that you haven't seen consistently enough right now? Okay, so third on my list is Anubi. We got Andre Drummond coming in at number three for me as a player with the most to prove this year for the Knicks. And I say Drummond because he's a guy that is coming in replacing one of the most important pieces on his team in Mitchell Robinson. He's an older guy. He's a guy that's bounced around the league. And the Knicks, I think, picked him up, one, because he was going to be cheap. He was a guy that can sign to a veteran minimum, not allow them to go into that second apron. And two, of all the guys that were available, he's probably the guy that can bring some of the things that Mitchell Robinson can bring to the table when it comes to the physicality and the paint, when it comes to the opposite rebounding. So, he's got a lot to prove because this is kind of the end for Andre Drummond, right? Like, I don't think this is a guy because of just the nature of his game and how he plays that he's going to have a lot more opportunities and a lot more cracks at being a rotation player on a championship caliber team. This is probably the last bit. It took a team that was super desperate to find a backup center that was to give him this kind of role. So, for him, I think there's a lot of personal things to prove. One, he's playing kind of back home. He's from this area. Two, he has an opportunity to win a championship as a vet who's been around this league and hasn't really been all that close to winning a title. And three, you know, if he does not do any of those things, we can be looking at Andre Drummond coming into next season. We see other bigs having to sign over in Europe, having to sign over in other countries. Like, could Andre Drummond be one of those guys that's playing Greece or Spain next year? So, from a practical standpoint, he's going to have a lot to prove for me in terms of what he has to bring to the table. He's got to be able to be that offensive rebounding presence that Mitchell Robinson was. I think that the expectation is even though he's not a great free throw shooter, he will be able to actually hit some free throws and that will be something that the Knicks won't have to be concerned about in terms of having to take him off the floor. But the big thing is Mitchell Robinson is such a great defensive anchor. Drummond has fallen off considerably in terms of what he used to be as a defender. Can he find a way to still be a shot blocking presence? Can he be a presence in the middle? And can he be somebody that the Knicks don't have to hide or other teams won't have to attack on pick and roll? Because Mitchell Robinson, as big as he was, he was not somebody that teams went after because of how great he was. So, while Drummond can bring the rebound and bring the physicality, can he match Robinson's defensive impact? That's going to be a huge thing to follow. So, that's why I have him in number three. Wow. Can't believe we started this off well. We started off in alignment. Why number three? Okay. Also, Andre Drummond. And for me, it's so much of what you said. And I actually thought, I really thought about this, EJ. I thought about putting him at number one. And I think people who watch the show will understand why I might have said that. We talked so much this offseason about the signing of Andre Drummond, the letting go of Mitchell Robinson because James Dolan did not want to exceed the second apron. And I think a lot of us, I think you're kind of noting this too, there's going to be a void that has to be filled with Mitchell Robinson gone because of what he gave you with the offensive rebound. Because of what he gave you with the defense. And the defense is the specific thing for me. The defense is the number one thing for me. Because if you look at Andre Drummond, the last three seasons, when it comes to percentage that opponent shot at the rim when he was on the floor, 66%. Mitchell Robinson, the last three seasons, granted, sometimes not as healthy, 60%, right? That just shows you right there. Now you might not think a 6% difference is a lot. It matters in terms of shooting. Yeah, you're gonna you're gonna see it when you watch them. But yeah, it's a big difference. When you watch it, you will absolutely see that and you will see why it matters. And so for me, when you look at that, you're you also write about I don't want to say this is bargain basement hunting with Andre Drummond. I don't want to disrespect him like that because he still is a good rebounder. His defensive rebounding rate was close to Mitchell Robinson's last season. Andre Drummond was a little bit over 20%. Now here's where you get the drop off. Mitchell Robinson was an elite with a capital E offensive rebounder. You know that the game showed you that we saw what Joe Mazula would do to get him off the floor because of how elite he was in terms of offensive rebounding, right? 20, almost 20% of offensive rebounds when he was on floor was grabbed by him that Mitchell excuse me, Andre Drummond only just over 14%, right? Again, 6% different. You might not think that's a lot and it's just 6%. Trust me, when you watch it, you will see it. I think one of the big questions for the next EJ this season is going to be how can Andre Drummond defend? Is he able to hold down the backup center position? And is he a backup center you can have on the floor in the postseason? If Kat gets in foul trouble, because if you remember the series against Philadelphia, it wasn't just Joel Embiid that was getting cooked and picking roles. Andre Drummond got some of it too by Jalen Brunson. So is he going to be able to hold up against shifty or quicker guards, especially if Kat gets in a foul trouble, which we've seen him do at times, we've seen that happen. So for me, I also, my thing is because of the pressure, I don't know if Andre Drummond is going to last the season as the backup center for the Knicks. The Knicks very well could look at their team in December, January and say, okay, we've got to upgrade here. And that'll tie into another one of my picks. But I think that he absolutely has pressure. I wouldn't be mad if somebody put him at number one, because I really, really, really thought about putting him at number one, just because of the position. And I think you look at the center position right now, and you can say the Knicks are a little bit thin in how you feel about them at center. It was a luxury for the Knicks to have Kat and have Mitchell Robinson, and you felt really good about it. Now, I don't know how you're feeling, EJ, but it sounds to me like you're kind of like, I might be feeling good. I don't know. Yeah, I mean, I thought the Mitchell Robinson loss was a massive one. Like it's one of the one things this offseason that still bothers me. Like I look at and I understand the second apron things and why the Knicks and why owner James Dolan wouldn't want to go into the second apron. I thought Mitchell Robinson was the kind of player that was worth it, simply because the Knicks illustrated how important he was by keeping him in bubble wrap for two years. This is a guy that was essentially allowed to be a part-time basketball player, in part because they felt like the only chance shot they had at winning a title was ensuring that he was healthy, ensuring that he was available. Now, his actual postseason performance this year was actually a little spotty. You know, he's kind of up and down. I know he was doing stuff off the court that didn't help as well. He broke his pinky. So, it wasn't a perfect postseason, but just his presence out there alone makes the Knicks an entirely different team. So, when they lost him and then you're talking about replacing him with a guy who you're going to be assigned to a better minimum, you just know there's going to be a drop-off. So, that's why I also like the point you made towards the end there too, which is forget about just the pressure of like, living up to playing like the way Mitchell Robinson plays, something close to it. Like, this pressure just to stay in the rotation, to stay on the team, because you're right. Like, he's not somebody that is guaranteed to be the backup center because of the nature of his deal. There's no reason why they can't cut bait with him. Or, as you said, if things don't look like they're going the right direction, they could look to get an upgrade and he could be out of the rotation. So, for that reason, you know, he does, again, I think have a lot to prove this year. Again, if he wants to end his career with a championship, he's not an agent. I think he's like 33 or 32, something like that. He's one of those guys that's a young player. He came into the league as a young player, so he's been around for a long time. He's not as old as you think. But the NBA, they put those bigs out of the pasture a lot quicker than some of these other positions. So, even though he's been a valuable player, that doesn't mean that if this thing doesn't go right, that maybe this could be his last real shot at winning a championship. So, a lot for, a lot on the line for Andre Drummond this year. Yeah, there's not just stay on the team pressure, there's a stay in the league pressure, as you noted too. And I don't think you're wrong about that. And maybe this is where pressure can work positively. We're not just saying this, maybe he's motivated by that. I think there could be an awareness from Andre Drummond that, hey, okay, I know this is one of my last shots, as you just mentioned, to win a championship, to stay in the league, to be an impact player, and I have to be better defensively. Now, one may say to me, hey Dex, did you watch Andre Drummond defensively last year? What makes you think that he's going to be better this year? And I would say that's fair. I would say it's a fair, more than fair question. I've said it all off season. I feel like he's a placeholder warmer on this Knicks team right now. They're eventually going to realize they need to upgrade at that. But maybe he proves us wrong. Maybe he proves us wrong. So we'll see. All right, we both had Andre Drummond at number three. Let's see if we're aligned here at number two. Who'd you have at number two, EJ? Okay, so number two, I went with Mohamed Dior, second year player for the Knicks guy who was, of course, drafted last year and came onto the scene and kind of took a lot of Knicks fans by storm with how he performed. I think this was a guy that people had very, very low expectations for last season. Mike Brown identified him very quickly and early as a guy that he had trust in, that he believes could be an impactful player on the team, and he was during the regular season. This year, of course, he's coming in as a guy who, I'll be honest, not that Summer League matters, but I was extremely underwhelmed by how he played in the Summer League and kind of surprised at how poorly he played. I didn't know why he played so poorly, but Summer League is weird. Some guys who played terrible there end up being great NBA players. You know, I don't want to put too much weight into that, but I think Mohamed Dior has actually a lot to prove this year because he is somebody the Knicks didn't let him walk in free agency. They did put some investment in him and his future, and I don't think, unlike last year where the Knicks, in part because I believe they kind of wanted to hide him, they didn't really play him in the playoffs. I don't think this is going to be a year where he's not part of the playoff rotation. I think that he's the kind of player, especially with some of the teams that we're talking about, that could take steps up, like Philly, who's now taking a massive step up with their wings. Indiana, bringing Tyrese Halliburton back. Of course, the Heat is bringing in Giannis Antetokounmpo. There are a lot of teams that have gotten a lot more athletic in the front court, which means that there are some maps the Knicks are going to have. Well, I don't think they could just live with OG Anubis and only Miguel Bridges as the size in the front court, in terms of the guys on the wings. I think they're going to need somebody else to be a factor there, with his length, with his athleticism, with his quickness. He's absolutely the kind of player that would be needed in that role for those kind of games, which means there's going to be a ton of pressure on this young man. This guy, I think, is going to be playing in games where he's playing in massive playoff games, games that he wasn't exposed to last year. So for the Knicks, in terms of him having to prove that that investment in him, their belief in him was correct, and they made the right assessment, and holding onto him, he's going to have to step up in a major way. So I got Mo Diawara here. I think that might be, I don't know where he went next. I kind of feel he might be off the reservation pick for some people, because he's such a young player, and he did come in with zero expectations. But I actually think that he's a very important player to this team, because he will be a part of the Knicks when we get to playoff time, in my opinion. So a couple things. I like that you went with a young player here, because I went with one too. Mo Diawara, I considered strongly, he did not make the list for me. But I like that you put him on. And, you know, I did a video essay last year for the show on Mo Diawara. The Knicks are very high on Mo Diawara. I was very impressed in talking to him one-on-one a couple of times last year, his focus, where he is. I too, like you, I even had talked at the end of the year, would he have gotten rotation minutes, because he, Mike Brown loves him. I will say that here. Mike Brown loves this kid. And you can tell by the way he played him. I do think the Knicks tried to hide him, and they didn't want to have to make an overtake. So I do think that some of that happened there, right? They were being strategic with their funds, as we've seen in other areas. But they were doing that. And so I think that is a huge thing. But you're right, it's different, going to be different for him this year. Because now, you could say he should have more confidence in year two. But if we're really keeping it a buck, and we're talking about it with the Knicks, we're really thinking about, okay, is he going to be ready for the playoffs? And can he contribute to playoff minutes? Like we just talked about with Andre Drummond. When you look at this Knicks roster, as I know you have, EJ, this Knicks team, you still feel like size wise, they're a little bit light on the wings, in terms of length and height, and strength as well, too. So having a guy like DeJuaro, who's 6'8", who was able to stretch and shoot 36% from 37% from downtown, and play good defense, and Mike Brown trusted him, and looked like he belonged on the court. But now you need to see what that looks like in the playoff minutes. So I love your pick here, because I do think there's pressure on him. And you gave him some guaranteed money. Granted, not a lot, and it's a great value deal for the Knicks. But you kind of need him to hit. With that being said, and I also will add, Summer League, and I know you weren't completely saying this, I was a little underwhelmed with his performance in Summer League as well, too. I was underwhelmed by that, too. But then I found out he ended up breaking his pinky after a couple of games. And I kind of was like, okay, maybe that's why the shooting was. And he was maybe a little bit tentative. But you brought up a young player. So I went with another young player. You went with a second-year player. I went with a third-year player. And for me, that's Pekom Dadier. Oh, wow. Okay. Yeah. And the reason I went with Pekom Dadier is because Pekom Dadier, I think a lot of Knicks fans are looking and saying, well, what have we seen? What have you shown me? Now, if we just acknowledge, and we just agree that the Knicks could still use a little bit more size, and I should have added another thing, even shooting at the wing position. You have Landry Shamit, who's an undersized wing. Granted, very good point of attack defender. Hit good shots. Not really good at creating off the dribble, but fine. Pekom Dadier has got a little bit more size. 6'8 guy, too, right? You think you have him, and you have Dior, who's actually closer to 6'10. You would be happy with that. But Dadier hasn't shown you anything in terms of what he could do, even in Summer League. Not that that's the end-all, be-all. Anything you'd like to see more of a third-year player, and he only shot 36% from the field and 16% from downtown. Dadier, everything you hear from the Knicks who were high on him, I'm not saying that they aren't high on him, but what initially was taken, they like the shooting mechanics, that isn't translated. That isn't translated at the NBA level. It hasn't translated in Westchester. You haven't seen it, and here's why the pressure exists. He's got an option coming up. The Knicks have an option on him, his fourth-year option to pick up by Halloween for $5.4 million. Right now, today, of us recording this in early September, if you're the Knicks, do you want to give Pacom Dadier $5.4 million for next year when you're up against the second apron? No. But if we just talked about this with Andre Drummond, this is really now or never for Pacom Dadier, EJ. He's got to prove it now or never. So to me, training camp is huge for this young man. How he does in the preseason is huge for this young man. And if there's any way his shooting and the shooting stroke looks good and all that stuff, but you got to hit the shots. If he hits the shots and becomes a bigger wing that the Knicks can actually play, God forbid, there is a injury to an OG Ananobis or Mikel Bridges who never gets hurt. You might be forced to play a Pacom Dadier, but is he ready? So I think there's a lot of pressure on him, not just for his Knicks career, but for his NBA career, which we know can be really quick for guys if you don't see that they can perform. So the Knicks need to see something out of this guy. Now, if the guy you mentioned, Mohamed Diwara, is performing, you might be like, I don't really need to see that. But I really think this is just now or never for this guy. I know this is probably a name people didn't expect me to say in Pacom Dadier, but the Knicks, when you're looking at the way their team is, because this isn't just about this year for me. They need to prove it this year, but it's also about the roster construction going forward. They're going to need to hit on young players that are cost-effective, right? So if you have a Mohamed Diwara you hit on, you have a Pacom Dadier or a Tyler Kolek, you can add there too. It matters for the way you're able to build your roster, especially if you're trying to be up against a second eight. Your thoughts on Pacom Dadier? No, I'll be honest. For a short time, I considered Dadier. But if I'm being honest, and I've said this a bunch, I think the kid might just think. I think he just might not be that good, and I almost felt like at this point, from a Knicks perspective, I just don't know how much pressure is on a guy that I don't think the Knicks even believe in him anymore, right? In theory, yes, there may be pressure internally for him. I agree in terms of staying in the league and getting another opportunity, but considering Diwara kind of came in and immediately replaced him in the rotation. Remember the first preseason game last season, I think there was, I don't know, somebody was hurt. I forgot who it was. I think it was OG maybe. Somebody didn't play, but I think Pacom Dadier started. He did. He was in Abu Dhabi against Sixers. He started. Yeah, he started, and I was like, oh, this actually got me excited. I was like, hey, maybe they're seeing someone from Dadier in training camp that maybe they think he can play a little bit. Then the world was, oh no, they probably played him because they were hoping somebody would trade him, right? And he was going to play that game, and I was like, yeah, and he watched him play, and I'm like, oh, well, we definitely going to be trading him based off of this game. So just every time I've seen him out there, and it's one of those things, and it's one of these old terms, and we say they should say in football that looks like Tarzan plays like whatever. I don't want to say Jane, but he has all the physical tools, size. He has some handle. He looks like the kind of prototype you would want from a swing guy who can shoot and defend. He just has not put it together. He's not put together all, and Nick seemed like terrified of after you had to put him in games that matter, and it's been now three years, as you mentioned. So that was the only reason why I considered him because I said internally, yes, he has a lot of pressure, but I didn't mean to put him on only because from a Nick's perspective, I just don't know how much there is to prove for a guy that I think that they figure it out what I think I figured out, which I just don't know if he's that good. I wonder if the figuring out of it, you made good points about that, and I was hearing the same thing about him basically being showcased last year during the preseason. Once you, and maybe for me, I don't want to say the nail on the coffin. That's a little too harsh. Maybe for me, the most glaring thing that we saw last year is what you mentioned when Mike Brown was consistently going to Mohamed Diawara off the bench. Sometimes in some games making him the first guy off the bench. I remember plenty of games where he did that, and I said, oh man, if Mahomed Diawara can't even sniff the court, oh, that's not good. That's not good at all whatsoever. So yes, a lot of it for me, I hear your points. I think they're great points. A lot of it for me is I'm looking at internal pressure to stay in within him, and I hope the young man can rise to the occasion and also just stay within the league. Yeah, we're not wishing any ills on anybody. No. But you do make a good point. It's the pressure there from the Knicks, right? Right. I don't know. Listen, I'm sure the coaching and the development staff is like, hey man, we want you to be in the gym. They want to see you get it right. I'll say this. I think it matters that he does play well, if not just for himself. If I want to talk about from the Knicks, from a team building standpoint, forget the future stuff and the aprons and all stuff. You also should want someone to push Mohamed Diawar, at the least. Yeah. You should want that, right? If you're a fan, I think you should want to see that happen. And if he can push Mohamed Diawar so Mohamed Diawar is not comfortable, it's just like, yeah, man, I've got the backup wing spot all locked down. No. Right. It'd be nice if he had a little pressure and being like, oh, somebody could come take this from me. And absolutely. We're going to know. But listen, it hasn't looked good. And you're right. He hasn't. I agree with you. He hasn't looked the part. That part I agree with you on. Every time he shoots the ball, I'm like, man, the form looks great. Like, it looks like it should go in and then the results are ugly. I don't know. I don't know what it is. It's the pick when they made the pick was kind of weird. You know, I think a lot of it was the ability to kind of offer him a lower deal and a lot in the, you know, draft cold in the second round and give him a lot more of a bigger deal. So there might be some money involved. But then, you know, you saw the physical frame, you saw the size, you saw some of the ability. You said, OK, there's something to work with there. And the Knicks have typically I know, you know, he started with his knives with Mike Brown, but the Knicks development staff, the young players has been quietly excellent. Like guys that have come here have all improved and all become very good players, even the guys that have been traded. Now, they may not have developed a superstar here, but I mean, going back to R.J. Barrett, you know, Queen Grimes, like guys have come here and gotten here and played immediately and got gotten better and improved. Like so it was actually jarring to see like calling Davie. He drafted and just go nowhere. It feels like in three years. And the other thing about it, too, that I think does make him important. It's in this sense, if if he were to play well, if he were to show them something that would be big because this is a team that had extremely high injury luck last year, which is part of the reason why they won a championship is why any team wins a championship is to have that kind of injury luck. You cannot bank on having that same injury look every year, especially with a team that I won't say is aging, but is older than some of these other teams, which means that if you have the ability to have not just the you are, but someone like the call me daddy, who can play in some games, who can spell GI newbies if you know, Bridges don't want to take a day off. But if he does need some time off, or even cat some time off, like those guys, they can go out there and they can play and they can perform and then they still have this huge drop off where we're just, you know, penciling in L's because oh, gee, your cat's not playing in a game. That'd be huge. So if if the if, if the combo coming daddy could become a real factor on his team, it would be a big development. I, I guess a lot of my commentary, I guess sounds sounds so pessimistic. I just don't I don't see it happening. I just I just have not seen him put it together yet. It's gonna be crazy. It's like this preseason. I'm texting you and I'm like, Oh, man, I hope so. I wish he would. I really thought this summer league. I was hoping this summer league. I was like, all right, hopefully the call me daddy. He got to he wasn't playing, but he got to see, you know, a lot of these great performances from Bridges and no, gee, we know those are guys he's obviously working with in practice and things like that. Hopefully, you know, working with those guys for course of a And again, it was the same thing. And it'll be different for him with DOR. I've seen him play well in the regular season. So I know he can play in NBA games even didn't play well in the summer league for him to look the way he did in summer league. I took more credence than that. I said, all right, this is year three. And this is how you look in the summer league. If you've been working out with OG and Bridges and who were postseason heroes, like what were you doing this whole time? So yeah, it's just I just feel so down on him right now. I'm hoping he can turn it it would it would be huge. It will be huge. Okay, here we go. We are down to number one. So for you, who has the most to prove this season? And why does his situation belong above everybody else that we just met? Yeah, I think he's maybe the player to watch on the next this season. And I the only reason why I paused and even put them on his list is I am still not sold that he's even gonna be on the team by the time we roll to night one by producing bride number one. I think he's the guy that absolutely has the most to prove he has a contract that's that's up right now. And the Knicks have an opportunity to extend him right now. There's been no movement right now towards really an extension, which means he could become a free agent. And do sweet bride is a valuable role player a guy who is certainly unlike you know, homie daddy like he's got one of those young guys that have come in and really develop and improve their game that has become an important piece on the Knicks. And if he wants to remain a part of this nucleus, he's gonna have to perform really well. But then at the same time, there's a little bit of conundrum where he could perform really well. And that could maybe price himself out of staying with the Knicks because the Knicks do have to consider what they're going to do with resigning cat to an extension. Oh, yeah, newbie coming up on an extension. So they have decisions to make other other way other places where course guys like towns and I knew be would be higher priorities. But do you think bride is important piece of this team? I think he's one of those regular season risers in terms of like W's over the course of regular season because he does put apply great breath, poor pressure, he's become one of the best jump shooters in the NBA. And I actually thought, you know, when the Knicks were kind of struggling, not the first time they had that two and nine starts in January, but they kind of started sputtering again, kind of around March, I really thought you really started to see the lack of do some bright shot making like showing itself during that stretch when they didn't have that, like, you know, as you know, Alvarado wasn't making shots, they didn't have that backcourt guy off the bench that can come in and be a microwave guy. So I think he's an important piece of the team. I know there have been folks talking about what should you trade him for a big I've really been kind of against that I'd rather see if Germany can do the job before I trade deuce because to have a guy that can apply that kind of broad pressure guard both one into and shoot the way he does with spaces the floor allows you to play more five out lineups. Deuce is an important piece of this team. But if he wants to get paid, he's got to play well. He wants to play with stay with the Knicks guy, of course, play well. And even if he does play really well, that could also mean he doesn't return to the Knicks. So maybe that means he prices he gets priced out here. So he's the guy that thing has a ton of pressure on him. He's the guy that I think if you're looking for any kind of contention or any kind of conflict within the team and regarding to how they're coming into this championship defense, it's all about Deuce McBride, in my opinion. So he's the number one guy to me that has the most proof. Man, EJ, we were we were in very much similar alignment on this list. We did not talk about this before, folks, at all whatsoever. Did not told EJ the assignment. EJ made his list. I made it. We did not talk about it. But just the way we went drumming young player, different young players where we differed. And then we're Frenchman. There was some commonality there. You're right. Yeah, good point. Good point. There was some commonality there. And swingmen too. Yeah, so there's a lot of commonality. Yeah, there was a lot of commonality there. Very good. That's a good catch. I need to catch that there. But I had to go with Deuce McBride too. For what you said, there is and I'm glad you brought up the contract stuff. I also agree with you. I'm not saying he won't get traded. I would not trade him right now at the time this recording is before training camp. I would let the backup center stuff play out. And I would even let and I'm going to say this too. I'd even let how Dottier plays and stuff plays out because and even Kolek, I'm going to throw him into the mix too. Because those are names you could then aggregate together because the Knicks can still aggregate salaries because they're below the second apron to go get a backup center along with the drum if you need to upgrade it. There's a way you can do that without even trading Deuce McBride. There's a chance you could and may have to trade Deuce McBride to get a center upgrade. But let's put a pin in that for a second and go back to some things you said. You're 100% right. He is a regular season razor, right? For a lot of teams, he's got to space the floor. Is he the best at running the team playing a backup point on the ball? No, his playmaking? No, be a little bit better, right? He definitely can. And this is the whole reason the Knicks went out last year. So when Jose Alvarado, no doubt about that, was much better suited in that role for him. And I know Deuce did not shoot well in the finals. I get that. But we've seen the guy make big shots, not be afraid to take shots and still play good defensively in the postseason. I think that matters a ton because we've seen that from this guy. And I think that matters a ton. He loves being in New York. But do I think, and I don't think he wants to leave. He also deserves to get credit. You talked about the development earlier, EJ. As a guy, he's one of the Knicks' best developmental stories. One of their best second pick developmental stories as well, too, for a guy who the thing about him coming out of West Virginia was, what's the shot going to look like? And you have a guy last year who averaged 12 points for you off the bench, shot over 41% from three during the regular season. And a lot of times, you saw Mike Brown, not a lot of times, but a good amount, I would say. You saw him close with Deuce McBride. You saw him lean into that in the postseason with some of his best lineups, including Deuce McBride, a guy who can defend, guard up, and still give you that physicality and hit the three. So, for me, it's that. I wonder how much all of the noise that we're talking about around all this affects his play on the court, knowing, as you said, I got to play well if he's him because he's trying to secure the bag and get himself a long-term contract. He also would like to stay. I'm sure stay with this Knicks team. That's a championship team. But he also still wants to get his money. He also knows, like we also know, and all the fans know, the Knicks have a lot of extension decisions to come. We've talked about Josh Hart on the show. We've talked about Carl Anthony Towns as well. You can't pay everybody and Knicks fans are going to find this out in the next year or two. You're not going to be able to keep everyone. Mitchell Robinson might have been the first. I don't know if Deuce McBride will be the next. Maybe he is, right? Then you have extensions coming up for OJ Ananobi and Jalen Brunson, who they absolutely will extend and have to give the money. So, there's a lot of things going on with Deuce. Does it affect him? Does he still play well? Do the Knicks look at this center situation, as I said, in December, January, and say, hey, we got to go get an upgrade and use him as a piece because he's easily one of the most tradable, if not their most tradable asset that they have. He's got one of the best contracts in the NBA for what he's making right now, right? With that three-year deal that he signed for I think he's got the most pressure because it's not just looking at how he'll perform, and I don't think that Deuce will perform badly. It's just how will he perform with all the pressure on him? People are like, oh, well, you want to get your bread. You got to play well now, right? You have to do this now or you might be out the door. That's a lot of pressure. Absolutely. With him, it will be interesting to do all this in the guise of a team, again, that's coming into a title defense because does that take away some of the hoopla and storyline around it? Because so much of the story of this Knicks season is going to end up being just the fact that they're defending champions. That's going to still be the main story, even though something like this is hanging around in the background. Does that help? Does that make it not as much in the forefront and therefore he can go out there and play? Or does that somehow maybe upset the apple cart where you have a team that maybe has, again, I talk about people with different goals. Not to say that Deuce is a selfish player because he's never been that, but a team looking at this title defense and maybe Deuce looking at trying to stay on the team and get money and how that conflicts. It creates an interesting dynamic to the team that I do think important. I'm glad you brought up the poor shooting in the finals because I think that's another layer to this. If you're talking about the Knicks making a decision on him moving forward, we know what he did defensively because the whole team played excellent defense during the NBA finals. But I think the fact that he shot so poorly absolutely is going to come into the conversation about whether or not they feel like they need to pay him when they know they have other extension opportunities coming up and they have tough decisions to make. So for him coming off the gate, I think you want to nip any kind of concerns about whether or not he's the kind of player that maybe shoots well in the regular season but postseason has struggled. He has shot well in the postseason in previous years. But you don't want to have anything in terms of like, you know, got an A in the project but did no work on it to be kind of something that's lingering coming into this year, especially if he comes out maybe shooting the ball not so well. So I think for him, he's got to come out and assuming he's on the team because I agree, I don't think they would trade him. I feel like if that trade was available, turns out trading him before the season would start. I think it would have happened already. I don't think a team is done before trading and say, you know what, we'll give you this guy or that guy. I don't see that happening. But I do think for him in order to kind of quiet a lot of that noise and maybe get a lot of the sentiment maybe around him being indispensable, he's got to have a good start to the season because Knicks fans don't forget, right? They remember the championship. They remember what everyone did. And there will be Knicks fans if he struggles that will say, hey, this is a guy that also struggled in the finals. Do we really need him? Yeah. And I think you and I were being pretty nuanced about it and not trying to in any way, shape or form devalue what he's meant to this team. And I'm glad you brought up the fact that he's had other good shooting performances in the season. I mean, the Philly, the Philly game in game four. I mean, he was the guy that he put Philly away. I mean, we really think about it was a team effort, but he came off the bench and could not miss. And Philly, it was a knockout punch. So I love Deuce. I think he has the ability. I was surprised how poorly he played in the finals. Sometimes it happens. It happens to all good players, you know? And the fact that he was still able to at least defend, you know, always gives him some value. So he's a guy I think can still be a factor with the Knicks in postseason kind of play. But I think in order to kind of get a lot of any kind of memories of how he shot in the finals out of a lot of people's minds, he needs to have a good start to this upcoming season. He's going to be one of those players you definitely look at when it starts the season. I also think it's going to be very interesting to see as these talks come about, we move through the season, how the Knicks value him. What do they value? All the discussions you made? Is it just the defense? Is it the shooting that he saw in the finals? Does that concern them? I mean, the Knicks have always, they've invested in him. But the question now is how much more do they want to invest in him? Or how much more would they want to invest in another area, like the center position, to back that up? It's going to be very interesting to see what they do. Now, some of that could be made easier if another shooter emerges on team, Paco Mbadia, could be you. That could change things, right? This is where all of this stuff could go, but we'll see. A couple more things before we get out of here, EJ. It's so crazy. We had the same number one. We're in good alignment here. Yeah, exactly. Out of everyone we discussed, who are you most confident will answer the questions that are out here about them? Who do you think is going to rise to the equation and answer the questions or rise to the pressure that is around them? That's a great question. If I had to pick one guy, I probably would say, I probably would say Deuce. Because he's the best player, I think, of the three players we mentioned. So I'm always going to lean towards just raw talent. I think he's the best player. I think he's somebody that has now, he's been raised in this championship vibe that this team has created and the championship culture, that's what I was looking for, that the team has created, right? I mean, Paco Mbadia got here and, you know, he was here, I guess, in theory and, you know, and Diora just got here. But, you know, Deuce was here towards the beginning of Tibbs and throughout the Tibbs run and then the switch to Mike Brown. So he's seen the Knicks make those incremental steps to becoming a champion. So just like we saw so many on this Knicks team have to rise to the occasion this past postseason to become champions, he's been raised in that same culture that they've established. So if I had to say the guy I had the most confidence in and displaying that he is deserving of that money, whether it's here in New York or somewhere else, I would say it would be Deuce McBride because, again, I've just been very impressed for a guy who, he came out, for somebody who shot the ball well at West Virginia, he shot the ball so poorly in the NBA. It was someone, and I remember I evaluated him coming out of the draft, I was doing a lot of draft content at that time. I was a little surprised at how badly he was shooting in the NBA. I don't know if it was nerves, I don't know what was going on, but, and he would shoot so well in the G League, it was really weird. To see him become this kind of jump shooter, and when I say like the best jump shooter, I mean, he takes almost exclusively contested jump shots. Like, he is somebody that takes, he does not drive all the way to the basket, he's kind of undersized, so he can't finish always at the rim. So, he is somebody that, if he's not making jump shots, his offensive game is, to a score, in terms of scoring, is somewhat limited, and really his overall offensive game because, like you said, he's not really a floor general type of point guard, so he's got to come in and make shots. So, it's a high degree of difficulty that he always has to clear in order to be effective, and he finds ways to do it still. So, I still got a lot of the confidence in the world in Deuce McBride. I really hope he can remain a part of this team. But, you know, the Knicks do have tough decisions to make, and if they are going to keep themselves constrained to never going into the second apron, that could absolutely make him a potential casualty of having to be one of the guys that they move on from, despite being an important part of a championship nucleus. I'm inclined to agree with you. If I was a betting man on this situation, I would bet on him to rise to the occasion here. The other person I would not put out of here is Mohamed Diawara. I just think very high of the young man's mentality, and I think he is somebody who's going to be very aware of some of the things you said about he probably didn't like himself how he played in summer league, and is going to understand there's going to be more opportunities for him this season, and that he has to seize these opportunities. So, I think he could answer some questions. Now, I also think there's going to be adjustment in the league to him, and that's why I would take Deuce. We've seen Deuce answer questions before. I think Deuce can answer the question of, oh, I didn't shoot well in the finals. I think the next time he's in the finals, if the Knicks can get back there, and he's with the Knicks, I think he'll rise to that too. But yeah, I wouldn't be shocked if Mohamed Diawara also answers some of these questions. Okay, last thing. What's one thing that you're going to watch early in the season that might change your mind and might have you say, you know what, I don't think there's as much pressure on this guy. I think he immediately is rise to the occasion. Is it something like Deuce McBride getting off to a good start and shooting? Is it Andre Drummond playing really good defense? What's the one thing that you think could change your mind early in the season? I think, because to be honest, when I think of it, I think what the reality of some of these guys are, is it's not necessarily going to be a question that can be answered immediately. Like, I think with Deuce, I think maybe short term, yes, he can come in and play well. But if he's still on the team, and there's not any immediate plan to trade him early in the year, then he's going to be having, he's going to improve his situation throughout the entire season, including the playoffs, where he's trying to get paid by, again, the Knicks or somebody. Drummond, it's kind of the same deal. Diawara, same deal. I actually was thinking of it from a flip side. And I kind of wonder, is there somebody that maybe I didn't think of that could end up being somebody that is proving something that then changed the nucleus of the team? And that's where I started thinking about Tyler Koelig. Because as you mentioned, with Deuce McBride being somebody that could be on the outs, if there's a scenario where there are injuries, or there's a scenario where somebody, you know, is traded or whatever, he's, he's somebody that may have been number four for me if I had to put a number four guy in there. Because we know Alvarado, how well he played, and he's entrenched in that, you know, no point back to point guard spot, I believe for now. But I don't know if it's quite as ironclad as maybe we think. I mean, we remember when Brogdon went down. You know, Mike Brown said that Tyler Koelig was going to play, and Tyler Koelig was going to then be thrust into the rotation. And to me, it just spoke to just how, how, you know, how thin the team is. Like, you know, the reality is that you're one injury away from, like, Tyler Koelig having a big role. And he had a massive role on his team during the 2025 portion of last season. Prior to New Year's Day, he was in the rotation. He won them huge games. I watched the New Year's Eve game in the lead up to the NBA Finals that they played against the Spurs, where he had massive minutes, and he closed the game. They lost that game. Of course, they beat them, and he closed the game in the NBA Cup. So I think in terms of thinking about players that, you know, what they have to prove, I'm wondering if there are guys maybe I kind of, like, short-sighted, but because of circumstances that may happen this year, may end up having a lot to prove. If Tyler Koelig comes out and plays really well again, it may be a lot harder for Mike Brown to put him to the side, because he showed last year that when he's playing right with his passing, his playmaking ability, and if he's making his jump shots, and he's on a sieve defensively, he is somebody that has value to the team, too. So he's going to be one of those guys I'm also looking at and wondering what happens if somebody goes down, or, you know, if these other guys end up being, you know, relatively okay. Well, who's somebody else that may end up having a lot to prove because of other circumstances? Tyler Koelig is someone I'm kind of paying attention to. Yeah, I'm kind of in the same vein of wondering, is it something else that happens with someone else on the roster that changes the situation for me? I think for me, the thing I'm going to watch early in the season, particularly before we even get to the season, to be honest with everybody, it's really going to be in training camp. Who do the Knicks sign to push Andre Drummond? Is there another center they sign for that 14th spot that pushes Andre Drummond, or another couple guys they maybe sign, you know, that's like, hey, Andre Drummond, that backup spot isn't just yours. You're going to have to battle for it. Can that person take over that spot? Do they look like the better option that you just trust? We know, the big tell for me, EJ, and how you knew the Knicks, I'm going to not try to be harsh or didn't necessarily believe all the way in Andre Drummond, was when we saw this summer, the Moussa Cissé off the sheet. Dad told me everything I needed to know. That's when they were like, yeah, we're not confident in this. We still need to upgrade. And I think that's the kind of center they were looking for. Somebody young, athletic, with some upside that can kind of fit into that Mitchell Robinson mold, not be exactly Mitchell Robinson. So for me, if there is a young center they signed, or even a veteran center that's maybe a little bit better defensively, and that person's pushing Andre Drummond in the preseason, that, and I see early in the season that Mike Brown's maybe a little bit more willing to go to that person for certain minutes, that would then change my mind and maybe say, okay, maybe the pressure isn't there. The pressure's already come for Andre Drummond, right? The pressure's come early here in the season, and it's here now. It's here maybe quicker than I thought. Because where I do agree with you, EJ, is a lot of these questions are likely, the pressure will exist, but the answers won't come early. It's going to take some time, and Knicks fans are going to have to be patient with that, and we'll see. Now, is there pressure on the Knicks in the way it was before? No, this might be the most, the time I'm on your show, you come back on here, we might be like, damn, remember when we used to have to talk about, well, how are they going to win a championship? Will they ever win a championship? We don't have to do that anymore. Those days are gone. Before I let you go, I've got to ask, because you hear people who are watching this are going to see this. They see that you're out here wearing the Jets t-shirt. You know you're Mr. J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. Jets get a win in week one of the season. I didn't get to talk to you about this before. How many wins do you think the Jets are going to get this season? Oh, I've kind of had them pegged around six or seven. I've had them around six or seven. I think they'll be a much improved team. I don't think they'll be one of the worst teams in the NFL. You can see watching them on Sunday, the difference when you have a quarterback that actually can push the ball down the field. Just the threat of the forward pass, it means wonders for an entire offense. It's surprising. It's surprising to say things like that, but that was what the Jets were facing with Justin Fields last year and, you know, kind of the shadow that was Tyrod Taylor. At this point in his career, him being banged up and not being the same player anymore because Geno Smith, he gives them a different dynamic and all of a sudden, Gary Wilson is all of a sudden activated. All of a sudden, the running game, now you're seeing them be able to stay ahead of the sticks and move the ball with Brees Hall and Braylon Allen. I don't want to say I'm excited, but I started to see a confident football team finally, which that would be great because I love being invested in the Knicks. I'm invested in the Knicks all 82 games, but sometimes it's almost felt like I've had to be too invested in November and October basketball because the Jets football season had already been over. So it'd be nice if the Knicks could be an addendum to the sports calendar, not the center of my world because the Jets season is already off to a 2-9 start or something like that. I'm hoping I'm not having to deal with that again. All right, I'm hoping for good things for you with the Jets. I had to ask because people are going to see you out here rocking the Jets shirt on your first football Sunday of 2026. That is my guy EJ Stewart. Check him out. Orange and Blue Bloods podcast. Fantastic Knicks podcast for everybody to check out. Also check him out on WFAN and also 40 Days 40 Nights. That's his other podcast that he does all the time. You got to check that out as well too. It is a fantastic one. I've been a guest on it several times. You should enjoy that. Let us know in the comments what you think. Who do you think are the three Knicks that are facing the most pressure heading into this season? Do you agree with me and EJ? Is number one for you Deuce McBride? Is it somebody else? Do you have a completely different three? Let us know. You know there's going to be somebody out there that says Jalen Brunson. That's going to happen. Somebody will say that. Somebody will say that. You know it's going to be somebody. Somebody in the comments will say. But let us know. We'd love to hear what you have to say for my guy EJ Stewart. I'm Dexter Henry. We'll catch you next time on another edition of New York Got Game. Peace. And thanks for watching New York Got Game. 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