Jalen Brunson Won't Say Knicks Are 'Contender'

The New York Knicks have made a number of moves this offseason that have made them one of the teams with the highest chance to win this year's NBA Finals.

But in a recent interview, new team captain Jalen Brunson says that even though they are considered by many to be a contender, he doesn't want anyone saying that word at training camp.

"We're contenders but I think we got to go into training camp without having that word be spoken of," Brunson said in a conference broadcast on MSG Network. "From day one, it's just (about) getting better every single day, just focus on the next day."

Brunson and Anunoby both re-signed earlier this offseason, and the team made a huge trade for Mikal Bridges, so now the team has some extra fire power.

The Knicks were able to finish with a top-five seed and advance past the first round of the playoffs this past season, despite a number of injuries to the team's biggest stars. If the team can stay healthy, they could make it even farther this season, but Brunson knows that is not a given.

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"We can't just go into the season and jump right back into the second round. We got to go back and start over again," Brunson said. "We have some new pieces. We have some familiar faces. What can we do with it? What type of team do you want to be? We just got to lock in and buy-in together."

The team will be looking to dethrone the Boston Celtics as the best team in the Eastern Conference, and contend for their first title since 1973.