The ONE Player That Could Elevate The Knicks To A Dynasty
August 17, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe defending champion New York Knicks enter next season with a target on their backs, a roster that is slightly worse on paper than the one that just won the title, and a set of internal questions that will determine whether they can repeat. On a crossover episode of Locked On Knicks, host Gavin Shaw and Locked On Fantasy Basketball’s Josh Lloyd walk through the team’s biggest variables: the backup center problem, the psychological state of Mikal Bridges, the potential leap of OG Anunoby, and the delicate balance between chasing a high seed and managing championship fatigue in the deepest Eastern Conference in recent memory.
The Andre Drummond problem is really a Mitchell Robinson problem
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:56) **The Knicks' Ceiling: How to Get Even Better** - Gavin Shaw and Josh Lloyd open the team preview episode by framing the central challenge: the defending champion Knicks must find a way to elevate their ceiling, and that requires a player to leap and a trade to happen.
- 2 (03:03) **Andre Drummond Replaces Mitchell Robinson: A Downgrade or a Stabilizer?** - The hosts analyze the Drummond-for-Robinson swap, concluding it's a clear downgrade in playoff ceiling but could provide more regular season stability, especially regarding back-to-backs.
- 3 (06:08) **Projected Starting Five & The Regression Candidate** - The hosts confirm the starting lineup (Brunson, Bridges, Hart, Anunoby, Towns) and then debate which player is most at risk of a decline, with both pointing to Josh Hart.
- 4 (11:04) **Mitigating Championship Fatigue in a Loaded East** - The hosts discuss how Mike Brown will manage the "championship fatigue" (extra games, shorter offseason, media obligations) in what they call the deepest Eastern Conference in a generation.
- 5 (15:04) **Mikhail Bridges: A Changed Player After the Playoffs?** - The hosts dissect Bridges' bizarre season, where he was invisible and "scared" in the regular season but then had an unbelievable shooting stretch in the second and third rounds of the playoffs.
- 6 (19:07) **The Path to Improvement: Internal Development or a Trade?** - The hosts tackle the central question of how the defending champions can get better when they've arguably gotten worse on paper by losing Mitchell Robinson.
- 7 (26:10) **The Player That Changes the Ceiling: OG Anunoby** - The hosts unanimously agree that OG Anunoby is the single player who can elevate the Knicks from a good team to a dynasty, based on his dominant two-way playoff performance.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
The New York Knicks face critical questions as championship defense looms—can they raise their ceiling with Andre Drummond replacing Mitchell Robinson? Gavin Schall joins Locked On Fantasy Basketball's Josh Lloyd to assess the impact of offseason tweaks, including Mikal Bridges’ fluctuating role, Josh Hart’s potential regression, and OG Anunoby’s emergence as a difference-maker.
Will the Knicks maintain elite status in a rapidly improving Eastern Conference, or does championship fatigue threaten their title repeat ambitions?
The episode breaks down Mike Brown’s rotational strategy, Jalen Brunson’s recovery, and the importance of finding a high-ceiling backup center. Gavin analyzes internal development prospects like Mo Diawara, explores potential trade scenarios involving Deuce McBride, and debates whether Anunoby can sustain All-NBA level play.
With OG Anunoby poised to elevate the Knicks’ ceiling, can New York navigate roster uncertainties and strategic challenges to stay atop the NBA hierarchy?
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