After a recent home victory against the surging Toronto Raptors, head coach Mike Brown let beat reporters and fans behind the curtain as he talked about a “contract” signed by all the staff and players prior to the start of the season.
Essentially, the contract highlighted “sacrifice,” “connectivity,” “competitive spirit,” and a belief in the process of coming together as a team. To the cynic, this may sound like nothing more than a behavior contract the average fourth grader comes across in school, but to Mike Brown and the Knicks, this type of philosophy is central to the core of who they are.
As a result, the Knicks were not in the least bit surprised as to how they overcame OG Anunoby’s hamstring injury, Jalen Brunson’s ankle sprain, and most recently, Landry Shamet’s sprained shoulder, all within the last month.
The Knicks have won five out of eight games in OG’s absence, and although the sample size is small, this “next man up” mentality appears to be way more than a tired sports cliche. It’s showing up in the win-loss column and in both the traditional and the advanced statistics.
As we inch towards the quarter mark of the 2025-2026 season, the Knicks are 13-7, which is good enough for fourth in the Eastern Conference, behind the Miami Heat, and just in front of the Orlando Magic. The orange and blue currently rank third in offensive rating (121.0), 14th in defensive rating (114.2) , and 4th in net rating (6.7).
The Knicks continue to emphasize the boards as they rank 7th in the league in overall rebounding (45.9), and third in the league in offensive rebounding (31.9). Part of their identity also includes being a high-volume three-point shooting team and taking care of the ball. To date, the Knicks rank fifth in three-point shots attempted (41.4) and third in turnovers per game (13.6).
Next man up
In my opinion, Josh Hart, Deuce McBride, Jordan Clarkson, and Landry Shamet (prior to his injury) have all made major contributions since OG went down with a hamstring injury on November 14th. Who could forget Shamet’s career-high 36-point performance in a win versus the Miami Heat? Even prior to that, the eight-year man out of Wichita State had made some forays into the starting lineup. And don’t forget Jordan Clarkson. The 12-year vet has just about cooled every opposing run with a tough bucket in the lane or with a heat-check three-pointer.
Outside of Clarkson and Shamet, Deuce McBride has been on some run. In the seven games since OG’s injury, Deuce has averaged 15.1 points per game while shooting 49.9% from the field. McBride has also converted 30 of his last 52 three-point shots. Per NBA Stats, of all five-man lineups that have logged at least 50 or more minutes this season for the Knicks, the lineup of Jalen Brunson, Deuce, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns has the highest net rating of +5.6.
Earlier, I mentioned the highlights from one of Mike Brown’s postgame press conferences where he talked about strategies to keep his players focused on the details of building a winner. During that same press conference, Brown admitted the he struggled to figure how to utilize Josh Hart during the beginning of the season.
With little practice time or gameplay during the preseason, Hart, one of the team’s leaders, was left unsure about his role on the team.
Brown talked about Hart being patient with him and embodying the characteristics outlined in the contract. And he was rewarded. Over his last four games, Hart has averaged 17 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game, 7 assists per game, and is a plus +19 over that time span. Hart has talked the talk and walked the walk in terms of his leadership.
Adjustment at the quarter mark?
At the beginning of the season, coach Brown explained that he had not implemented many set plays with the Knicks because he wanted players to focus on the details of how to cut and where to move in his offense. Two opposing coaches—Doc Rivers and Darko Rajakovic—also mentioned that Knicks transitioned from pure drive and kicks to more set plays involving KAT and Jalen Brunson in the pick-and-roll.
The other early-season adjustment has been the separation of KAT and Mitchell Robinson in the starting lineup. During the 16th game of the season, versus the Brooklyn Nets, Robinson was given a reserve role in which he flourished. In theory, the Knicks probably made this move more for KAT’s benefit than for Mitch. Per NBA Stats, of all the Knicks two-man lineup combinations, KAT and Mitch posted a net rating of +7.5, which while on the surface isn’t a bad mark, that same pairing was a +19.5 twelve days ago. Quite the drop.
It’s no secret that Towns has struggled this season, especially with his shot. For the season, KAT is shooting 46.0% from the field and 33.0% from the three-point line. Without Mitch in the dunker’s sport, KAT has more real estate to drive and find open shooters if the defense collapses on him. In the five games since Mitch has moved to the bench, KAT is averaging 23.2 points per game, 9.4 rebounds a game, while shooting 51.5% from the field and 38.0% from the three-point line. Although the sample size is small, the change has at least helped KAT to become more efficient with his scoring.
Defense
But it can’t all be sunshine and rainbows. Despite the team’s resiliency and transition towards playing a more egalitarian and aesthetically pleasing style of offense, the defense has been a bit of sore spot. The Knicks actually moved down in defensive rating (from our last check-in) from 9th to 14th place in the league. A review of some of the statistics paints a picture of system that is under construction and needs some repairs.
Despite being sixth in the league in opponent’s points per game, the Knicks are giving up the fourth most three-point attempts per game and fourth most made three-pointers per game. If you dive a bit deeper into the three-point shooting, the Knicks are also serving up the seventh-most “open” three-point shot attempts and the third most “open” three-pointers made.
On the positive side, the orange and blue are doing a good job of protecting the paint. The Knicks are top-10 in field goal attempts allowed within five feet from the rim, and fifth in loose balls recovered. But Mike Brown has to scheme or collaborate with Leon Rose to figure out if the defensive issues are more connected to tactics, execution, or personnel.
FInally, 20 games into the season, a couple of things are clear. This team is better than last year’s team, but I would say it’s still up in the air as to whether they can advance past the Eastern Conference Finals.
Call it the Mike Brown affect, but the Knicks’ process in hunting and making shots is better this season. They relentlessly attack the paint with drives, shifting and tilting the opposing defense until they can find an advantage for an open catch and shoot three-point shot attempt.
What they lack in overall defense they try to make up for in offensive rebounding. Is this ultimately the formula that brings the Knicks to the NBA Finals? Time will tell. But for now, I believe fans can rest assured that these New York Knicks will sacrifice, show competitive spirit, and stay connected even through the tough times. And if they reach their potential, we can start dreaming of a party in the canyon of heroes.
