Mike Brown Can Unlock the Knicks’ Full Potential

Originally posted on The Lead | By Reyaz Ally | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 4:11 PM ET

Almost a month after the New York Knicks parted ways with Tom Thibodeau, they have their new hire. Mike Brown will become the 32nd head coach in franchise history.

Brown has coached in the NBA for over 25 years with two head coaching stints and as an assistant with four teams. He knows what it takes to win, and he has contributed to championship teams as an assistant four times in this century.

He has coached Hall of Famers (and future Hall of Famers) such as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry , and many others. His most notable accomplishments include winning Coach of the Year twice (Cavaliers and Kings) and leading the Sacramento Kings to their first playoff appearance in 17 years.

BREAKING: The New York Knicks are expected to land on two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown as the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/LOXb74LFe4

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2025

Mike Brown will reinvent the Knicks’ offense.

Offense is Mike Brown’s specialty. He is a wizard drawing up offensive sets and working with star talent.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns did not seem to mesh as well as they could on the floor under head coach Tom Thibodeau. Part of the issue was Thibodeau’s inability to run quality plays with KAT. Additionally, he was hesitant to try new sets and lineups, which made it difficult for the team to find rhythm together. Brown will make an immediate impact on offense by playing faster, utilizing the spacing KAT brings, and passing.

The Knicks were a solid passing team last season, ranking 11th in the league in assists per game and 18th in total passes per game. However, in the playoffs, Thibodeau had the team revert to more isolation, moving away from ball movement. New York was 14th (out of 16 teams in the playoffs) in assists per game as a team and had the fourth-worst assist-to-turnover ratio in the playoffs.

Mike Brown will fix the Knicks’ isolation issues. In two seasons with the Kings, his team was at the top of the league in passing.

The Knicks were 18th in passes per game last year

The Kings under Mike Brown
'22-23: 4th
'23-24: 2nd pic.twitter.com/2o70Ok9dYI

— Marshall Green (@MarshallGreen_) July 2, 2025

Managing the Rotation

The biggest worry with the Mike Brown hire is how he handles the Knicks’ rotation while maintaining a top defense.

Brown draws similarities to Thibs with his rigid rotations and old-school, hard-work mentality. However, the Knicks are not a team filled with young talent; they will only have one rookie next season, Mohamed Diawara. So, Brown has more veteran talent to work with in his rotations.

The starting lineup is a key part of what Brown must figure out next season, and hopefully, he has a plan and tests out different combinations of players. The Knicks had Josh Hart starting most of the season, but Mitchell Robinson took his place when the Knicks got deep into the playoffs. Robinson is great for defense and covers KAT’s mistakes at center, but Brown might think more offensively minded with his lineups.

Whatever the future holds for Mike Brown and the Knicks, the idea was to find a coach who will get the most out of this roster, and Brown is very capable of unlocking the Knicks’ full potential.

This article first appeared on The Lead and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: