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New York Notes: Brunson, Diawara, Diadet, Nelson, Nets
Sandy Verma | August 12, 2026 5:24 PM CST

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks to a long-awaited championship, but he has no plans to rest on his laurels, he said during an appearance on The New York Post’s ‘NY Got Game’ podcast, per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post.

“My approach and everything has to be the same,” Brunson said. “Just because I’ve reached the mountaintop of winning an NBA championship doesn’t mean that it’s over with. I feel like there’s still a lot more to do and a lot more that I can prove. It’s 100 percent always going to be in the mind, I’m just not going to let it define me.”

Brunson remains in recovery mode after undergoing wrist surgery in early July. The recovery timeline is projected at six-to-eight weeks, with the expectation he’ll be cleared by training camp.

“It’s reminded me a lot about patience, for sure,” Brunson said, per Schwartz. “But it’s a steady process and it’s something that, honestly, it is what it is. It’s something I attack every day. Just find a way to continue to improve.”

Here’s more on the New York teams:

  • The Knicks have three players on the roster with fewer than three years of NBA experience — Tyler Kolek (25), Pacome Dadiet (21) and Mohamed Diawara (21). Which of those players is most likely to contribute next season? According to James Edwards III of The Athletic,  Diawara is the logical choice, as the former second-round pick established himself as a rotation piece for nearly two months last season. Dadiet is the least likely to earn a rotation role, as he hasn’t shown a consistent three-point shot. He’s also not currently someone who makes plays with the ball in his hands, Edwards adds.
  • Don Nelsonwho passed away over the weekend, coached the Knicks for a majority of the 1995/96 season. He was fired in March after compiling a 34-25 record and told the New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro a few years ago that his time with New York was one of the biggest disappointments of his career. “It does bother me that it didn’t work out when I coached the Knicks,” Nelson said. “Coaching that team is one of the platinum jobs in sports, and they entrusted me with a team that had come so close. I had ideas on how to get them closer. The players had other ideas.”
  • When will it be time for the Nets to go all-in and pursue a trade for a superstar? Brian Lewis of the New York Post examines that topic in a subscriber-only story, noting that internal growth and development of their young players is paramount before they take that route. Lewis hears the Nets never seriously engaged with the Celtics in trade talks regarding Jaylen Browncontrary to some reports, before the All-Star forward was dealt to Philadelphia. Once the Nets committed to their rebuild, longtime target Giannis Antetokounmpo no longer fit their timeline and the former MVP fell from their radar screen.


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