The New York Knicks are just a few weeks away from kicking off their 2026 NBA season as they look to defend their recent world championship. The Knicks come into this season with mostly the same core of players as last year, with Mitchell Robinson being the lone key departure in free agency over the summer.

Still, despite their dominant playoff run, oddsmakers aren't sold on the Knicks' chances to repeat this year, as the team is currently listed at +1000 odds to win the 2027 NBA championship, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia 76ers, per the BetOnline Sportsbook.

While being in fourth place isn't too shabby, it still might be taken as disrespectful by Knicks players, who won the team its first championship in 53 years this past summer.

Here, the oddsmakers seem to be of the opinion that the Knicks' 2026 championship was more a product of a good team getting on an otherworldly hot streak at the right time, which by and large did seem to be the case throughout their playoff run.

Article Continues Below

Several Knicks played well above their regular season means en route to the title, and the team also enjoyed remarkable luck on the injury front throughout their postseason run.

Also adding to the odds is the fact that no team has repeated as NBA champions since the 2018 Golden State Warriors, with the league now in an unprecedented era of parity.

Still, Jalen Brunson and company are no strangers to being doubted, and it looks like they'll have to prove the skeptics wrong once again in 2026-27.

The Knicks' season is slated to get underway on October 20 at home vs the 76ers.