New York Knicks warned against great expectations ahead of clashes with Philadelphia 76ers in Abu Dhabi

Point guard Jalen Brunson says team must put last season's NBA success behind them and focus on journey ahead

With a new coach at the helm in Mike Brown, and a world-class roster hungry for a championship ring, the New York Knicks are looking to make the most of their pre-season training camp in Abu Dhabi, where they will take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday and Saturday at Etihad Arena.

After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 2000, the Knicks – and their fans – have every reason to believe the natural next step would be contending for the NBA title.

But star point guard Jalen Brunson has warned against heightened expectations, and says the best approach would be to put last season behind them, and instead focus on the future.

“For us, we can't really think about last year at all. We got to the Eastern Conference Finals and I'm very blessed to have that opportunity. But for us, it's all about starting the journey over,” Brunson told reporters in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

“Everything's new here. Walking into this with an open mind, open to learning. This is new, we can't think about last year at all.”

The Knicks ended the five-year tenure of coach Tom Thibodeau following their 4-2 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals and have brought in Brown to take over the reins.

Brown led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals and more recently guided the Sacramento Kings to the play-offs for the first time since 2006 during their 2022-23 campaign. He earned Coach of the Year honours in both cities.

New York Knicks during their practice session at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. All images by Victor Besa / The National

Jabari Walker of the Philadelphia 76ers during their practice session at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi

Kelly Oubre Jr. of the Philadelphia 76ers during their practice session at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi

Mike Brown, head coach of the New York Knicks

Paul George of the Philadelphia 76ers during their practice session at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi

New York Knicks during their practice session at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi

New York Knicks players with Abu Dhabi pupils during an art clinic at Etihad Arena

New York Knicks players at the art clinic NBA Cares at Etihad Arena

New York Knicks player Jordan Clarkson at the Etihad Arena

New York Knicks player Guerschon Yabusele with Abu Dhabi pupils at the Etihad Arena

Josh Hart of the New York Knicks

Brown believes the team’s time in Abu Dhabi will help him get better acquainted with his players.

“We're in close quarters all the time and the neat part about it is we brought our families with us and so not only do we get to know obviously each other, but we get to know guys' better halves or other parts of the family so that when we hear them talk about their wives, their girlfriends, their mom, their dad, whatever, their brothers, sisters, we can be able to put a name with a face,” he explained.

Taking over a team with serious championship potential comes with a great deal of pressure as it is; that team being the New York Knicks takes that pressure to a whole new level.

A franchise renowned for its passionate fans and celebrity-packed floor seats, the Knicks are yearning for a first championship since 1973 and Brown is well aware of the magnitude of the responsibility at hand.

“I embrace any type of pressure to come my way because nobody's going to put more importance or pressure on themselves in my opinion than me,” he says.

“So if others are putting it on you too, then that means what you're doing is pretty important to a lot of people and that's what I'd rather have than the opposite, so I embrace it and our guys embrace it. If you want to be who we think we're capable of, we have to embrace anything and everything that comes our way.”

While the Knicks will be looking to build on the momentum they created last season, Brown will not shy away from bringing changes and adopting his own philosophies.

“Well, it's hard. I coach the way I coach and so that's what I'm going to do,” he stated.

“I've had success or been a part of success in the past and we think with the veteran group they can adapt relatively easy. It's going to take some time, but no matter what you do, whenever you start something new, it usually takes some time and we're going to embrace that and try not to skip any steps during the process.”

The Knicks had already bolstered their roster ahead of last season when they brought in Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Their moves this summer were less flashy but still vital as they re-signed Bridges and added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to the mix.

Towns says his mentality entering his second season with the Knicks is no different to what it was when he was joining the team 12 months ago.

“It's the same; you want to win, you want to put your best foot forward every single night for the fans, for the city,” said the All-Star centre.

“At the end of the day, I just want to take another step forward as a player, as a man, and try to be the best version of myself that I've ever been.”

While Brunson dismissed the notion that this season is regarded as “championship or bust” for the Knicks, guard/forward Josh Hart is embracing that approach and realises the expectations on the team are high.

“I feel like it's always championship or bust for us,” said Hart.

“Obviously, we've been taking steps the last couple of years and obviously we fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. But our goal is to take that next step to get to the finals. But we know we've got to continue to build.

“We're not just going to get to that point. So I feel like that's always our mentality. But now we've just got to take it a day at a time.”

Coach Brown said everyone who has made the trip to Abu Dhabi will get some playing time in the preseason games against the Sixers, as he teased the fans about what they can expect from the Knicks on Thursday (8pm tip-off time).

“Hopefully we play fast offensively. We have the right spacing offensively,” said Brown.

“We touch the paint a lot of times. We try to get extra possessions on the offensive glass. And then defensively, we want to be physical without fouling.

“We want to pressure the ball. We want to make sure we're in the right position to help. All the little things that we emphasise with what we call our staples, and then everybody's going to play. Everybody that made the trip will be able to get out on the floor and play.”