Jalen Brunson, Knicks make a statement in rankings alongside LeBron James, 76ers

It is October yet? Not quite, but since a lot of changes have already taken place in the NBA, early rankings are starting to come out. For the New York Knicks, things are looking good, at least at first glance.

When the Philadelphia 76ers signed veteran LeBron James to their roster, it definitely changed things for the Knicks. The 76ers are a key rival, and now, they have one of the greatest NBA stars of all time on their roster. Not only that, but James is motivated to win.

But, that's not stopping the Knicks from still inching ahead of the 76ers in an early ranking.

Knicks inch out 76ers in early NBA rankings

John Schuhmann of the NBA's official website has released his offseason power rankings for 2026. In it, he names the Knicks No. 1 in the Eastern Conference. Nice. That's even after losing Mitchell Robinson. He has the 76ers at No. 2.

However, he does ask the question, how much of the title run was sustainable?

"The Knicks were the only team that scored more efficiently in the 2026 playoffs than in the regular season," he states in the piece. "The defense was also improved and, statistically, they were the best playoff team in NBA history, outscoring their opponents by 14.9 points per game over their 19 postseason games."

"They can't play that well over a full season, but they could surely carry over some level of chemistry and execution to improve upon their third-place finish in the East," he adds.

So, the future looks bright for the Knicks. That's even with a new competitor in James on the radar.