John Starks Says Sixers Improved w/ LeBron But Knicks Still Team To Beat

The 76ers had a big offseason -- they brought in LeBron James and Jaylen Brown -- and the Miami Heat added Giannis Antetokounmpo ... to which John Starks says, cool, but the Knicks are still top dog in the Eastern Conference!

TMZ Sports ran into the legendary Knicks shooting guard Friday morning in NYC, and asked him if he believed the champs were getting the proper level of respect after winning the chip.

"They're getting their respect, but I know coming back into the season you have to be hungry. If they still have that underdog mentality coming into the season, it's gonna be good for them," Starks told us.

What about the big moves made by the squads in the City of Brotherly Love and South Beach?

"Their teams are gonna be good. You can't discount them. You got LeBron, you got Jaylen Brown, you got [Tyrese] Maxey down there in Philly, as well as the young kid, [VJ] Edgecombe."

Ditto for the Greek Freak and his Heat squad.

"We got a lot to fight for this upcoming season," John added.

With the Sixers' big off-season moves, some sportsbooks even have them as favorites to come out of the East ... though Starks says he sees LBJ as more of a "facilitator" these days.

We also ran into Knicks star point guard Jose Alvarado ... who isn't the least bit concerned about the detractors.