To dear New York,

It's amazing how much can change in a year.

When I came to the Knicks, I knew I had an opportunity to lead this team and make a name for myself in helping to make this team better. So when I came to New York in the summer of 2022, the number one question on my mind was - how are we going to get this team to win?

Throughout my basketball career, from junior high to high school, I played countless roles on teams, including role player, captain, and you name it. I've been in situations where I've had to lead the team and I've been led by other people, so when I came here, I knew what I had to do.

Anyone who knows me knows that I've never been one to enjoy being in the spotlight. I like to keep things simple, live as regular a life as possible, and most importantly not keep the people who love me away from me. My family keeps me humble and in the right frame of mind, grounded and upright, and I'm really grateful to them for that. Honestly, I couldn't have done it without my family.

Family has been my theme since I've been here, and when it comes to what it means to me to be a Knicks, it all starts with my family.

My connection with New York actually goes back even further, to Chicago in 2010 when my dad was an assistant coach with the Bulls, and that's when I first learned what Coach Thibodeau was like as a person and as a coach.

When I was in high school, I could tell he was a coach who really wanted to win and did whatever it took. He also knew that it was all about sacrifice - himself, the players, everyone on the roster, and that showed me what the early professional code was like.

Since then, I've given everything to basketball because I was lucky enough to grow up around the league and see how those pros train. I was never the most talented player, so I became very diligent and always wanted to fight for every ball, charge down the field and do whatever it took to get the job done.

I remember staying in the gym late at night after a game I played badly. Early the next morning, before the bell rang for the first class, I trained alone in the gym, went to practice lifting weights and shooting baskets.

I'm lucky to have a group of friends who all know and understand what my goals are. They never forced me to go and play with them first and then come back to practice, they would make me finish the training task and then come back to them. They led me in the right direction, which made my childhood life so much easier.

But the thing that really set me apart was the "how to nourish yourself" mentality that I learned at the time, and in life you often have self-doubt, especially as a young player.

To be honest, I'm still going through this, even if you try your best to train, you still have some doubts about yourself, but it all depends on your own focus, whether you are prepared, whether you find your position, whether you know what you can do, and so on.

This is how to overcome self-doubt, some of which my father taught me and some of which I learned from coaching Thibodeau during his time with the Bulls. It was a great and unique experience to play under a coach who has seen me grow, and I think that's the core of our relationship, that we both know how hard we work.

Coming to New York, I understand that even more, to play under my dad, Thibodeau, Leon Rose and this team is really special, it's a dream come true. That's all I can say about that.

You don't think about these things every day, do you? It's not on my mind when I'm on the court, but sometimes when I actually sit down and calm down, it really hits me. For me, it's not just about me fulfilling this dream, it's about fulfilling this dream with my family.

It's easy to play with guys you've known for over a decade, you know what I mean? It's like when I played with Josh Hart and Divenzenzo at Villanova, you understand the game in a totally different way, I know how the guys like to play, it's a totally different atmosphere. I don't think about it often, but it does mean a lot to me.

After we traded for Anunobi, things picked up right away. He's been a force for us since he came to this team. It's amazing what he can do and the way he helps the team on both ends of the floor.

There are not many players like him who can come to a new team and immediately have an impact on the game without knowing the offensive or defensive system, and that's what Anunobi did. He is a fantastic player and has a great attitude towards the game; Achuva is also a bully, he's always been a weapon for us, and it's really cool that he stepped up when it mattered.

Everything was fine in January after the trade, and then Anunobi, Randle and Mitchell Robinson all got hurt. When they go down, we don't have a clear timetable for when they will come back and we have to do our best every game.

The most important thing for us is to keep winning and moving in the direction of success. In those moments of uncertainty, we define ourselves, which highlights a key point about us: we all know who we are. You don't know that until you've been through the hardest times.

We're not going to give up, and we're going to take that culture, that grit, that desire to win into the playoffs. We are fighting our way and now we have a great opportunity in front of us.

One thing that stuck with me last year was that in the next round of G6 against the Heat, I made a mistake at a crucial moment. Even though we played well last season, you never forget moments like this because we had a chance to win and it slipped away from me. I can still picture it in my mind.

So when we stay focused, the one thing I focus on is to pay attention to the details, that's what we talk about in the locker room, to look at every little thing as a big thing, and we have to have that mentality. I know it all seems like a cliche, but in the playoffs, one possession, one mental mistake, even the smallest mistake, can cost you.

Look, a playoff game at Madison Square Garden? It's going to be surreal. I know the home crowd will be more agitated but the most important thing is to stay focused every day.

That's the message we're sending to each other from top to bottom - the coaches and the players, to everyone in the squad. We have to make sure that the mentality of the team can't go astray, we have to have the same mentality of the team and continue to move forward together.

To the fans: You make me special, and the Knicks would not be the Knicks without you. Your unconditional love and support has been amazing. It's an honor to play for New York, in front of this team, this city and the fans, and I never take it for granted.

See you Sunday.