Mike Brown & the Rewiring of the Knicks

When the Knicks dismissed Tom Thibodeau and began their coaching search, a key term used was: “collaboration.” After having its floor raised by Thibodeau, the team was ready to pivot, as his message felt stale with this group.

When Mike Brown was hired by the Knicks after an extensive search, he mentioned a more collaborative approach as a pillar to this team’s success. A few games into the most-hyped Knicks season in decades, we are starting to see those differences take shape, and they have been apparent.

Throughout the preseason, the expectations for the Knicks on offense were clearly defined: they were going to play faster, with more urgency, and that it was going to take time. Through three games, the shots haven’t been falling (40% from the field, 33% from three) and the team is in the top-10 in turnovers per game (16.7 per game), but they are playing at a faster pace than they did last year under Thibodeau (101.0 vs 97.6).

Brown has experimented with 36 five-man lineup combinations so far as he has tried to find what works best for this group. His second-most used lineup has been the combination of Towns, Anunoby, Bridges, Brunson, and McBride, which speaks to his offensive leanings and a clear emphasis on corner threes.

He has tried to get Jalen Brunson more comfortable in more off-ball actions—using others to spring him for clean looks without having to resort to isolation ball that has defined the Brunson era until now. This is different than the philosophy under Thibodeau, which prioritized having the ball in Brunson’s hands as much as possible with an eye on maximizing efficiency and limiting turnovers. Brown seems to be keeping isolation as a wrinkle, not the entire plan.

What Brown has shown is a desire for players to execute with pace, and to tinker with lineups throughout the regular season. It is the opposite of the approach that defined Thibodeau’s tenure. In previous years, the approach and the lineup felt rigid—effective for wins, but rigid nonetheless. The only deviations happened due to injury or when in times of playoff jeopardy.

Brown is in an exploratory phase with this team, which is the same process that occurred when he arrived in Sacramento in 2022. It wasn’t until 10-15 games in with that team that his offense started to click, and the team subsequently won a lot more as a result. He has proven that he can adapt schemes around his players, and we are seeing that already with the increase in three-point shot volume from the corners.

Beyond the scheme and the numbers, there seems to be a cultural fit occurring within the team that simply wasn’t there in years past.

Last year, the Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a quarter of a century. They beat the defending champs in a second-round series. And yet, despite all of that, something felt off with the team, a sort of tension that was bubbling under the surface. In the early days of the Mike Brown era, it feels that, at the very least, the team is operating with better vibes.

For proof of this, look no further than the introduction of the hard hat and Timbs award to the best defensive performance on the team after wins. So far, OG Anunoby and Jordan Clarkson have been anointed with the celebratory gear. It’s a play that Brown utilized in Sacramento, where the team’s best defensive player was awarded with a crown.

The Knicks and Brown are not the only team that does this sort of thing. The Grizzlies, Heat, and Hawks have introduced similar types of nightly awards to recognize excellent individual effort. But for this team, this sort of action signifies a lot more. There was a sort of accepted grumpiness that came in the Thibodeau era, an almost team-wide allergy to fun gestures. With the defensive player of the night award, Brown shows how he is molding the team in his image and is also conscious of New York City culture.

Beloved Knicks teams are remembered and mythologized for their toughness. They are remembered for an endurance that New Yorkers can identify with. The motif of a construction worker symbolizing a great defensive effort is a powerful one for fans of the team. It is yet another instance of Brown reading the room and understanding what will motivate his players and energize the fan base.

We see this in action on the sidelines as well. Already throughout the early days of his tenure, we have seen Brown having conversations with the players, showing that collaboration in action. Again, what seems like a small thing is relevant to a team that at times felt stymied by its previous scheme. It’s only three games, with plenty to clean up. But the foundation of synergy, accountability, and updated schemes seem to be heading in the right direction under Brown—and that is a great sign as the Knicks continue to play under the microscope of expectations this season.