Despite Coaching Turnover, Knicks' Slow Starts Are Nothing New

The Knicks, conversely, have now dropped three in a row, all to fellow teams out east. Their 2-3 record looks a long way down from how many fans expected in entering the season of contending expectations, and some fans are starting to panic. New York's front office looked to have gone all in on this core this summer in signing a few bench role players in Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson, who've each slumped to start the season, and doubts persists as to whether new coach Mike Brown can do what Tom Thibodeau, his predecessor, couldn't.

It's Still So Early

This is where New Yorkers have to take a deep breath and remember that our sample size consists of five total games. The team's enhanced core is still gelling together, which has been made even tougher in implementing Brown's own principles and a rotating list of contributors of varying health levels settling into new roles.

And before the Thibodeau nostalgia gets out of hand, it's important to remember why the Knicks opted to re-enter the coaching carousel. His stagnant adjustment style and over-reliance on his starters each came back to bite the team in seasons past, and nowhere was it more evident during the squad's Eastern Conference Finals push just a few months back.

He, too, didn't frequently hop out to strong regular season starts, despite how memories may twist with time. They made the playoffs in four of Thibodeau's five seasons in charge, and sank to a losing record at some point in each of those campaigns (their exception resided in the 2020-21 season, his lone losing year, when the Knicks started out 5-1).

If the Knicks were going to suffer from any early-season schneid, they can at least look at the fact that the struggles have arrived immediately to give the team plenty of time to turn the ship around. They have the pieces to challenge the east, as they proved in returning and building upon last season's impressive rotation, and can remember that Brown was signed to contend for a championship, not blow NBA media away after five games.