Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is not shy about sharing his opinions, even if they are unpopular. That includes his particularly hot takes about which NBA teams are contenders.
Green does not include the New York Knicks on that list. According to him, they do not have what it takes to win at the highest level, even though they reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
“The Knicks, I just don’t believe that they’re contenders. I don’t think they have what it takes to win at the highest level,” Green said. “I think you can stifle their offense and make it hard on them, and I just think ultimately [they have] guys that don’t really want to defend. It makes it tough to win at the highest level.
Draymond Green says the Knicks are not contenders
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) October 30, 2025
“The Knicks, I just don’t believe that they’re contenders. I don’t think they have what it takes to win at the highest level”
(Via @DraymondShow) 👀 pic.twitter.com/2XMyZmoHLA
Obviously, this is a pretty bold stance considering the Knicks took the Indiana Pacers to six games in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. If not for their infamous Game 1 collapse, they might have even won that series.
Interestingly, some of Green’s criticisms are similar to the reported reasons the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau after that playoff loss. That might not be a coincidence, with Mike Brown brought in to make their offense harder to stifle.
Green is no stranger to these sorts of takes. He offered some thoughts on the Western Conference that were no less controversial, too.
