A month after the New York Knicks decided to part ways with coach Tom Thibodeau, who had led the team to its first conference finals appearance in a quarter-century, the franchise is poised to hire two-time Coach of the Year Mike Brown. Sources indicate that an agreement between the Knicks and Brown, who has previously coached the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings, and served an extended period as an associate head coach with the Golden State Warriors, is expected in the coming days.
Knicks president Leon Rose explicitly stated the organization`s primary objective in the announcement of Thibodeau`s departure: “Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans.”
This is the standard Brown will now inherit. However, with a highly skilled roster widely considered a leading contender in a less formidable Eastern Conference, the expectations are, for now, somewhat manageable. But what adjustments will Brown implement to propel this team further than Thibodeau, who reached the playoffs in four of his five seasons and guided the Knicks to consecutive 50-win seasons, a feat not achieved since the mid-1990s?
Here are four significant differences the 55-year-old Brown brings, which Rose, team owner Jim Dolan, and the club`s passionate fanbase hope will guide New York back to championship glory after a 52-year wait.
A More Flexible Approach to Rotations
Just two weeks after Sacramento Kings third-year wing Keon Ellis, a fan favorite known for his defensive contributions, delivered a career-high 33 points, he was benched by Brown on December 3rd. This followed a game where Ellis committed an unnecessary frustration foul near the end of a quarter, ultimately contributing to a two-point loss for the Kings that night. In the subsequent game, Ellis played a mere two minutes.
Brown`s underlying message was clear: even with demonstrated progress, Ellis needed to play smarter. While Brown was certainly under pressure last season, particularly before his firing in December, his handling of Ellis and his decision to move Kevin Huerter out of the starting lineup after the guard`s first-half struggles indicated a willingness to alter lineups, especially when the team was struggling.
“Sometimes changing things up can lead to a better outcome because the pieces are different in the rotation and fit better together,” Brown stated in his final media availability as the Kings coach.
This is particularly relevant as Brown joins the Knicks, who last season relied on their starting five more heavily than any other team in the league. Beyond the demanding minutes, New York`s starting unit of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby was outscored from January 1st through the end of the regular season and also during the postseason.
This raises further questions about the sustainability of keeping that group together for such long stretches, particularly when other lineups featuring reserves like Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson often performed more effectively due to the added spacing, defense, or rebounding they provided.
Brown Could Introduce a Unique Pace-and-Space Offense
Like Thibodeau, Brown is widely regarded as one of the league`s premier defensive strategists.
However, in Sacramento, following his tenure as an assistant with the Warriors, his offensive schemes differed significantly from much of the NBA, particularly early in his time with the Kings. Besides playing at a fast tempo driven by De`Aaron Fox`s remarkable speed, the team heavily utilized a handoff offense centered around star big man Domantas Sabonis as a hub and playmaker. Wings like Huerter and Keegan Murray would sprint towards the ball, leaving opposing defenses exhausted and confused as defenders struggled, often unsuccessfully, to navigate Sabonis` screens.
It was a prime example of pace and space offense. In some ways, it was a creative adaptation of what made those championship-winning Warriors teams – Brown was part of their 2017 and 2018 title runs – so challenging to defend. In Brown`s inaugural season, the Kings ended a 16-year playoff drought, fueled by a barrage of three-pointers and achieving what was then the best offensive efficiency in league history at 118.6 points per 100 possessions.
Having coached elite players from LeBron James and Kobe Bryant to Stephen Curry and De`Aaron Fox, Brown is no stranger to the concept of isolation basketball in crucial moments. Upon joining the Knicks, Brown will have coached three players—Fox, Curry, and Brunson—who have won the Clutch Player of the Year award. (The Kings, despite being strong in close games in 2022-23 and decent in 2023-24, had accumulated a league-worst 13 clutch losses when Brown was dismissed last season. Having Brunson will likely help in this area.)
Yet, part of Brown`s mandate in New York will be to find ways to extract more offensive contribution from Bridges and Anunoby, who last season ranked first and second in the NBA in corner three-pointers attempted. While they can score and be effective from the corners, given Bridges` efficiency from the midrange last season and Anunoby`s physical strength, are they capable of expanding their offensive roles?
Similarly, what tactical adjustments will Brown make when teams try to neutralize Towns by guarding him with quicker forwards – as the Detroit Pistons did against the Knicks in the first round – rather than a center? Will this require lineup changes involving the new-look bench, or can a specific scheme be implemented?
Brown Has Challenged His Stars Defensively
Upon taking the Kings` head coaching job in 2022, one of Brown`s initial actions was to speak with De`Aaron Fox. This conversation served as a reminder of when he coached Fox during an elite high school basketball camp.
“I thought he was going to be a premier guard defensively because of his quickness, athleticism, and tenacity. His ability to defend the ball was unbelievable,” Brown commented in an interview during his first season in Sacramento.
Brown specifically told Fox he had the potential to become a great two-way player – a capability Fox demonstrated at times during their 48-34 playoff season.
Brown wasn`t the first NBA coach to employ such a motivational approach; Steve Kerr, under whom Brown coached in Golden State, used a similar tactic with Stephen Curry when he first took over the Warriors in 2015, leading to the first of four championships. However, Brown`s method is noteworthy and makes it intriguing to see how he will interact with Brunson, who was heavily targeted defensively during the Knicks` deep playoff run.
According to Genius IQ, Brunson defended a total of 123 pick-and-rolls as the screener defender against the Indiana Pacers in their six-game conference finals series. This was nearly four times the number from the previous year, when Brunson was forced to defend only 32 pick-and-rolls over seven semifinal games against Indiana.
Brunson lacks the athleticism or wingspan of Fox and carried a disproportionately high offensive load, handling the ball an NBA-leading 8.6 minutes per game last season. But Brown`s strategy for utilizing Brunson defensively – particularly in conjunction with Towns, who was also targeted defensively throughout his first season in New York – could be a crucial factor in determining whether the Knicks can end their championship drought.
Brown Has Publicly Criticized His Players
In the postgame press conference following Brown`s final game as Kings coach – a 114-113 home loss to the Pistons where Fox fouled Detroit`s Jaden Ivey on a winning four-point play in the closing seconds – Brown provided reporters with a detailed breakdown of his players` mistakes on the decisive play.
“First, we instructed our guys: `If someone catches the ball with their back to the basket, foul them.` And they dribbled for eight seconds, and we didn`t foul,” Brown explained. “Secondly, if you`re up three, just guard your man at the three-point line [and disregard the drive] – there should be no opportunity for a hard closeout. No hard closeout opportunity. Because they know the only thing that can defeat us is a three-pointer.”
Brown added that he would need to review the game film to understand why Fox lunged at Ivey but reiterated that there should have been “no reason for there to be a hard closeout” on that play. (In contrast, following a one-point loss to Chicago last November where Josh Hart fouled Coby White on a three-pointer in the final seconds, Thibodeau had a subdued reaction when questioned about the play, presumably to avoid public criticism of a starter.)
However, the loss to Detroit wasn`t the sole instance of Brown being publicly critical or demanding more from his players. Last preseason, for example, after guard Mason Jones committed two careless, costly turnovers late in a scrimmage, Brown concluded the practice by shouting at his players about the need for greater attention to detail and holding teammates accountable to prevent such plays. Specifically, in his subsequent media session, he named De`Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, stating they were the ones who needed to point out those errors. Whether this approach is beneficial or detrimental, it appears to mark a departure from Thibodeau`s style.
Numerous questions face the Knicks` new coach, and many more will emerge once the season commences. Based on the organization`s stated singular goal, at some point, we will have a definitive answer regarding whether Mike Brown was the correct choice to succeed Tom Thibodeau.
