Draymond Green isn’t buying the New York Knicks as legitimate title contenders. Speaking on his podcast, the Warriors forward shared his thoughts on their ceiling this season and explained why he doesn’t believe the Knicks have what it takes to win on the biggest stage.
“The Knicks, I just don’t believe that they’re contenders,” said Green on his podcast. “I don’t think they have what it takes to win at the highest level. I think you can stifle their offense and make it hard on them. Ultimately, guys that don’t really want to defend, make it tough to win at the highest level.”
Defense wins championships in the NBA, and the Knicks currently rank 10th in that category. While that’s higher than the Warriors at 12th, they do not have a superstar like Stephen Curry to compensate for defensive breakdowns. Instead, the Knicks depend heavily on Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, who combined for 44 points in their loss to the Bucks on Tuesday. While both are elite scorers, they are also inconsistent defenders, and their key roles have contributed to the team’s struggles on that end of the court.
Of course, the Knicks also face offensive issues that have not gone unnoticed. While they have several proven scorers, Green believes they can be neutralized easily since the offense slows down once Brunson is taken out of the game. Without consistency from the starters, it then becomes much harder for the Knicks to get reliable and consistent scoring in the clutch.
In last year’s playoffs, the Knicks were outmatched by the Indiana Pacers, who overwhelmed them with pressure defense and forced countless turnovers. Despite a deep roster that featured Brunson, Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges, New York folded under the intensity when it mattered most.
This season, by running it back with nearly the same roster, the Knicks are hoping to take the next step and learn from those failures. At 2-2 so far, the results have been mixed, but hope remains. From lottery team to playoff threat, the Knicks have made real progress as a franchise, but Green still does not see them as legitimate contenders. In his opinion, only five teams currently fit that description, and none are in the East (Warriors, Lakers, Clippers, Thunder, and Nuggets).
After years of inconsistency, the Knicks are finally competitive again, but they still lack the defensive discipline and superstar depth that separate good teams from great ones. Unless they evolve their identity and fix their biggest flaws, they will remain on the outside looking in when it comes to true championship contention.
For the Knicks, the challenge now is proving critics like Draymond Green wrong. They have the talent to compete with any team in the league, but turning potential into results will take focus, chemistry, and a willingness to defend every single night. If they can find that extra gear on both ends of the court, they might finally silence the doubters and establish themselves as a real threat in the East. Until then, talk of contention will remain as nothing more than pure ambition.
