How Did a Two-Time NBA Coach of the Year Unlocked the Knicks Roster?
The New York Knicks have had a resurgence with their star point guard, Jalen Brunson, leading the team. In the 2024-2025 season, they were able to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. After this success, it was controversial that they fired their then-head coach, Tom Thibodeau, and instead chose Mike Brown as head coach for the next season. Now that the 2025-2026 season has begun, there has been enough of a sample size to see how Mike Brown will run the Knicks, and so far, it's looked promising.
The biggest flaw with the Knicks last year was their reluctance to rely on their bench players. New York was known for putting pressure on their starters, having them play longer minutes for the entire season. This meant that for the entire season, the Knicks' starters were at a greater risk of getting injured, and the bench unit never got enough opportunity to find a comfortable rhythm. Whenever bench players got playoff minutes, they looked rusty because they didn't have the regular-season minutes to comfortably find their style of play. In their season opener, Mike Brown ran a lineup of 11 players with 10 of those players getting at least 12 minutes. Mike Brown did this while missing Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson. In the most recent game against the Milwaukee Bucks, he ran a 10-man lineup with nine players getting 10 minutes or more.
The former Kings head coach has shown that he's more than willing to let the bench players prove themselves. Guerschon Yabusele and Ariel Hukporti have shown they can play promising minutes as backup bigs. His game plan for the starters has thrived as well. Brunson is still as lethal a scorer as he's ever been; he is currently averaging 31 points with five assists. He clearly hasn't lost a step with the fast-paced offense that the Knicks are currently running. OG Anunoby has shown to be reliable on both sides of the court, and his offense hasn't lost a step. With Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns starting the season being consistent on offense, the future looks bright for the Knicks. With the Eastern Conference being at its weakest this year, the Knicks are destined for an NBA Finals appearance.
