A sigh of aid was shrouded behind a smile within the instant aftermath of Mike Brown’s debut as New York Knicks coach. Changing Tom Thibodeau and starting the season with summer season expectations for the primary time in a long time, Brown wanted a easy begin.
“Good first win,” Brown mentioned following the Knicks’ season-opening victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, “figuring out that we have got quite a lot of room to develop.”
It has been change after change over the previous 12 months inside Madison Sq. Backyard, starting in September 2024 with the stunning commerce of Julius Randle to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Cities on the eve of coaching camp. (Randle returns to New York for the second time Wednesday; 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.)
Thus far, solely two-way wing Mikal Bridges appears absolutely comfy in Brown’s system that prioritizes ball motion and a quicker tempo. Bridges, who’s averaging profession highs in area purpose and 3-point percentages, seems to be like a special participant than the one who was uncertain in his first season as a Knick and now not relegated to feeding off the gravity created by All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Cities.
What the Knicks are as an entire, although, stays a thriller. Brown’s new system nonetheless seems to be like a slog at instances, resulting in a bottom-10 tempo by way of seven video games. Cities, in the meantime, is discovering his footing in Brown’s offense after an All-NBA first season in New York beneath Thibodeau.
However opening evening marked an vital change from final season. Earlier than their second-round upset of the defending champion Boston Celtics, the Knicks had gone 0-8 towards the East’s two prime groups final season. The win towards the Cavs was a sign they’ve the power to guide the pack in a convention devoid of a really dominant group. Primarily based on the primary few weeks of motion in New York, the place do the Knicks stand in that pursuit? May accidents get in the best way?
Let’s look at what’s new, what’s working and what stays a piece in progress because the new-look Knicks proceed their newest evolution.
— Vincent Goodwill
What are scouts and executives seeing in New York?
Contemplating it took the Knicks greater than a month to rent Brown as Thibodeau’s alternative — and that was after a number of failed makes an attempt to land candidates beneath contract with different groups — it should not come as an enormous shock that the acclimation course of between the coach and his gamers has taken time. Brown was the perfect accessible selection, however not an ideal one. And, because the Knicks are navigating these early-season waters, there have been some uneven seas to cope with by way of seven video games.
“Quite a lot of it’s simply taking them time to determine the offense,” an East government informed ESPN.
The changes start with All-Star large man Cities, who broke out for a season-high 33 factors Monday towards the Washington Wizards however is taking pictures a reasonably stunning 40.8% from the sector, practically 8% decrease than any season throughout his 10 years within the NBA. He raised eyebrows simply earlier than the season, when he declared he did not but know his position in Brown’s offense, and proceeded to really feel his means into the brand new system within the opening weeks.
“He definitely had a transparent position beneath [Thibodeau],” a Western Convention scout mentioned, “and he is made it identified he is not overly enthusiastic about his lack of a task now.”
Josh Hart, who was synonymous with Thibodeau’s rigorous system, commonly performed enormous minutes (at the very least 40 in 23 regular-season video games final 12 months) as a important cog in New York’s run to the Jap Convention finals.
Now, Hart is adjusting to a full-time bench position whereas taking part in by way of a nerve problem in his proper taking pictures hand that is a results of a reaggravation of a finger damage he initially suffered in Could.
Related issues encompass heart Mitchell Robinson, who has a well-chronicled damage historical past and has already been relegated to a load administration plan to aim to get him by way of the common season and to the playoffs. For the reason that begin of 2023-24, Robinson has performed simply 50 video games.
Each time he goes to the bottom in ache — like he did throughout Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bulls, showing to tweak his ankle on what seemed like an innocuous play — there is a collective holding of breath amongst Knicks followers, given Robinson’s impression on the group from a rim safety and rebounding standpoint when he is accessible.
“The system stuff shall be positive,” an Jap Convention scout informed ESPN. “However have they got the legs to get there ultimately? A lot of that comes right down to having Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart wholesome.
“These guys, and their general stage of physicality on a nightly foundation, actually matter.”
However regardless of all that, the Knicks nonetheless reside within the East. For all of the holes that may at the moment be poked into their preseason place as a co-favorite to advance to the NBA Finals for the primary time this century, who ought to supplant them?
The opposite co-favorite earlier than the season, the Cavaliers, have their very own spate of accidents to handle. The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks, the 2 fashionable picks to complete within the prime 4 behind New York and Cleveland, have additionally stumbled out of the gate. And, in asking a number of sources throughout the league in latest days who they might take over New York to flee the East, nobody might produce a agency reply.
“They will get by, and win a bunch of video games due to expertise,” the Western Convention scout mentioned, “however there’s much more drama there than I feel they might’ve thought there could be within the first week of November.
— Tim Bontemps
What the numbers say in regards to the new-look Knicks
Numerous 3s for the Knicks…
Probably the most notable stylistic change for the Knicks is their shot distribution, as they’ve embraced the 3-pointer greater than they ever did beneath Thibodeau.
New York ranked twenty eighth in 3-point try fee final season, however in 2025-26, they’ve the fifth-highest 3-point try fee, with 48% of their photographs coming from past the arc. Solely the Cavaliers, Celtics, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns — who all ranked among the many most 3-happy groups final season — have taken extra 3s as a proportion of their complete makes an attempt than New York.
Curiously, aside from facilities Robinson and Ariel Hukporti, the 2 lowest 3-point try charges on the group belong to Cities (35% of his photographs) and Brunson (37%), which implies the Knicks’ position gamers are all primarily spacing the ground across the stars.
As a group, the Knicks made 36.9% of their 3s final season, they usually’re at 36.5% to date in 2025-26. However the enhance in makes an attempt means they’ve leapt from twenty fourth in 3-point makes to a tie for third.
… And for his or her opponents
The identical dynamic has additionally appeared on the defensive finish, the place New York allowed the sixth-lowest 3-point try fee final season however have surrendered the fourth highest this season; 46% of their opponents’ makes an attempt have come from past the arc.
New York is not permitting extra 3s as a result of it has made a extra concerted effort to dam off the rim. As a substitute, its opponents have transformed a portion of their low-value midrange makes an attempt into higher-value 3s. And people opponents are cashing in on these additional tries, making 39.6% of their 3-point makes an attempt, second highest within the NBA.
Granted, there is perhaps a schedule caveat to this factoid as a result of the Knicks have already performed the Cavaliers and Celtics, who rank first and second in 3-point try fee, whereas not going through any group that ranks close to the underside of the league. However it’s value watching to see if the Knicks’ protection can do a greater job shutting off the 3-point flood because the season continues.
A much less ball-dominant Brunson
On a person stage, no one managed the ball greater than Brunson final season. In accordance with GeniusIQ monitoring, he led the league with 524 dribbles per sport, 8.8 minutes of possession per sport and 6.1 seconds per contact.
However this season, Brunson’s possession numbers have declined throughout the board; these figures have fallen to 431 dribbles, 7.7 minutes and 4.8 seconds, respectively.
A associated change is a dramatic decline in Brunson’s pick-and-roll frequency. In accordance with GeniusIQ, he was the ball handler for 55 picks per 100 possessions final season, second most within the NBA behind Trae Younger. However he is solely in Twelfth place amongst high-volume ball handlers this season, with 43 picks per 100 possessions, as Brown tries to democratize the offensive load.
Extra handoffs
One of the vital apparent stylistic signifiers of the Sacramento Kings’ offense beneath Brown was the handoff, and the Knicks have adopted go well with beneath their new coach. They ranked 14th with 23 handoffs per 100 possessions final season, per GeniusIQ, however they’ve zoomed into first place with 43 handoffs per 100 this season.
Brown’s Kings groups used handoffs so usually due to offensive hub Domantas Sabonis, who has led the league individually 5 years in a row. However it’s extra of a group effort for New York, which is utilizing all sorts of handoffs to start out its units.
Cities and Brunson have greater than doubled their handoff charges versus final season. Mikal Bridges has practically quadrupled his handoff fee. New reserve large Guerschon Yabusele has gotten in on the act, and Robinson is setting a profession excessive in handoff frequency by way of two video games.
As a part of their larger emphasis on sharing, the Knicks have jumped from 18th in passes per sport final season to fifth in 2025-26.
Rotten taking pictures luck
One would possibly count on that the larger diversification would result in higher outcomes for New York, however the Knicks are solely 4-3 with the Twelfth-ranked offense after ending with 51 wins and the fifth-ranked offense final season. There’s completely no purpose to panic, nevertheless, as a result of the Knicks will probably rocket up the standings as quickly as their luck begins to show.
In accordance with an evaluation of GeniusIQ knowledge, the Knicks have underperformed their “anticipated” level complete based mostly on shot high quality and shooter identification by 47 factors, whereas Knicks opponents have overperformed their anticipated level complete by 45 factors. Primarily, the Knicks have gotten unfortunate on each ends; their minus-92-point margin based mostly on taking pictures luck is by far the most important within the league. (The second-worst hole belongs to the 1-6 Indiana Pacers, at minus-62 factors.)
— Zach Kram
