Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks have the talent to be in the conversation of title contention for the 2025-26 NBA season.
There is one player on the squad who can help decide their chances of success. Former player and current analyst Kendrick Perkins revealed who the star player on the New York roster is.
Kendrick Perkins Believes Knicks’ NBA Finals Hopes Lie in One Player
Perkins made an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up show on Feb. 23, discussing the Knicks’ title hopes. It was there that he named Karl-Anthony Towns as the star who can make the biggest difference in how far the Knicks can go. He even acknowledged that it could come at the cost of two key players’ duties in the rotation.
“If they use this recipe of using Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks actually got a legit chance of going to the NBA Finals. Karl-Anthony Towns is the most important player on this team, and they got to continue to find ways to feature him in the offense, if that means taking away from Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby to make sure the big fella get more touches, so that you can get the best out of him defensively,” Perkins said.
“If they use this recipe … the Knicks actually got a legit chance of going to the NBA Finals.”
—@KendrickPerkins on the Knicks 🍿 pic.twitter.com/zgZV2cOUvC
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 23, 2026
“Karl-Anthony Towns is a guy that works off emotions. He’s a guy that you have to stroke his ego. He’s a guy that you have to force feed the rock so you could get a better player on the defensive side of things.
“If the Knicks are going to get this Karl-Anthony Towns that we’ve seen against the Rockets and last night, then the Knicks have a legit shot at coming out of the East. But if they don’t feature him, and they have those games where they put him on the back burner, then that could possibly be an early round exit in the postseason,” Perkins further added.
What’s Next on the Schedule for the Knicks
The Knicks enjoyed their best playoff run last year, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in Towns’ first year with the squad. They hope to get to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, a challenge that might require the star big man to step in a big way on both sides of the ball.
New York boasts a 37-21 record at the moment, holding the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They have a one-game edge over the Cleveland Cavaliers and a 2.5-game edge over the Toronto Raptors. However, they are behind the Boston Celtics by one game and the Detroit Pistons by 6.5 games.
The Knicks will look forward to their next matchup, which will be on the road. They are going through their three-game trip as they face the Cavaliers on Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
