Winning While Learning: Knicks Pulse Check Part I

Sometimes I wonder how former head coach Tom Thibodeau is doing.

There’s no doubt he’s watched the Knicks, and I’m curious as to how he would evaluate this season so far. Is he upset with himself for not trusting more of his players in a reserve role? Does he question whether players not named Jalen Brunson should have initiated the offense more during last season (paging Mikal Bridges)? Did he finally get that twitchy hand looked at by a doctor?

Who knows. I imagine that Teflon Tom is probably somewhere in a hotel room (lights off) watching defensive highlights from the Celtics series, with a scotch and TV dinner on the tray next to his couch. Truth be told, I hope the old man is doing well. For a basketball lifer such as himself, having success and eventually losing your dream job has probably been a crazy transition.

But we move on…

Enter Mike Brown - who has been almost the complete opposite of Thibs in regards to everything from his energy in the huddle to his details during pre- and post-game press conferences. Looking at the advanced statistics from this young season, it appears that Brown, who was tasked with modernizing this Knicks offense, has delivered.

The orange and blue currently rank second in offensive rating, 9th in defensive rating, and fourth in net rating. Coach Brown has been open about his desire to win the “possession game” every night. Brown explained that his coaching staff places on a priority on free-throw attempts, rebounds, and turnovers.

The Knicks currently rank 26th in the league in free-throw attempts per game (22.5), however, they rank 7th in rebounds per game (47.3) and 4th in turnovers per game (14.1). Furthermore, although Brown will want to see his team improve in getting to the line more frequently, this current mark is actually higher than last year’s mark (19.4), which ranked 28th in the league.

But it’s not just traditional and advanced analytics that have fans impressed over Brown’s first 10 games in charge - it’s the eye test. This team, when they’re right, plays an aesthetically pleasing style of basketball, where the ball moves side to side without too much overdribbling.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights over the first 10 games of this Knicks season.

I mean that in the best way possible. In its increased pace, off-ball movement, and multiple options/actions off of sets, this Knicks offense - which is still in the embryo-stage of developing chemistry - is very easy on the eyes. Add in Mitchell Robinson’s offensive rebounding, and you have the ingredients for a system and team that is extremely difficult to game plan against.

By the numbers, the Knicks currently rank fifth in passes made per game (306.1), sixth in drives per game (55.2), second in three-pointers made per game (17.0), and third in three-pointers attempted (44.1). And while the efficiency isn’t there yet, there’s no reason to believe that won’t improve. The Knicks are ranked 13th in effective field goal percentage (55.2), 15th in true shooting percentage (59.1), and 22nd in overall pace (100.40).

My only concern is what this offense will look like when the shots don’t fall. I want to see the Knicks win when they don’t shoot over 35 percent from three-point range. Last season, the orange and blue finished one game over .500 (18-17) in games when they shot below 35 percent from three as a team. This season, they are 0-2.

Knicks Twitter and basketball twitter are no strangers to impulsive takes. So it should be no surprise that after several subpar performances from Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart within the first five games, the pitchforks were out.

Prior to the beginning of the season, KAT was on record as saying that he didn’t know what his role was going to be in this offense. Unsurprisingly, that set off a lot of alarm bells amongst pundits and fans. However, the start to KAT’s introduction to Mike Brown’s offense has been anything but uncertain. In his postgame comments after a victory against the Brooklyn Nets, Brown talked about playing Towns in multiple positions on the court, withe the goal of making him more difficult to guard.

Although fans are used to seeing Towns at the top of the key, per NBAstats, the three-time All-NBA big man is ninth amongst bigs in points per possession (1.07) in post-ups. Towns has also found success driving and getting to the line as he’s shooting 6.8 free-throw attempts per game, the most of his career.

Similar to KAT, Josh Hart entered this season with some doubts. Much was made about his decision not to get surgery on his fingers after he reported nerve damage several games into the season. He also talked about having the biggest adjustment of anyone on the team acclimating to the new coaching staff and what they want to see from him on the floor.

When this team is fully healthy, it appears that Hart’s role will be coming off the bench. And you have to credit the Villanova alum, as it seems that he’s still Josh Hart, while also canning 36 percent of his shots from three.

It’s been quite amazing to see Mikal Bridges in Mike Brown’s offense. His three-point shot no longer has a hitch in it, and he looks way more comfortable initiating the offense from time to time, instead of waiting for corner-three-point attempts and his patented fadeaway middy jumper.

In 10 games this season, Bridges is a +6.2 over the course of 308 minutes. A far cry from the start to his Knicks career last season when, over the same 10-game span, Bridges was a -19 over 340 minutes. The eight year vet is making his impact felt on both sides of the court. Mikal is averaging 16 points per game while converting 50 percent of his three-point shots. On the defensive end, he currently ranks third on the team in deflections (19) and second on the team in steals (11).

Bridges’ role under Mike Brown has expanded, and he has rewarded his head coach with excellent production. Brown also previously talked about Bridges’ attendance during involuntary workouts over the summer, which clearly helped him to develop a familiarly with Brown’s offense.

Over the next 10 games, the Knicks will play the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic twice with home and away contests against both teams. They will also play the Milwaukee Bucks, hopefully looking for payback after losing a tough contest in Milwaukee earlier this season.

I started this article focusing on Tom Thibodeau, and while no one should forget what Thibs brought to this franchise - with a caveat of IT’S EARLY - Mike Brown has just about done everything you can to put Thibs firmly in the rearview. In most of his postgame pressers, he’s emphasized that this team still has ‘room to grow’.

I think most Knicks fans, myself included, can’t wait to see what that looks like.