Examining the Knicks’ New Philosophy Under Mike Brown

The Knicks are under Mike Brown for their first season, and reactions to his coaching have been both positive and negative. The Knicks are a high-powered offense that has a shooting hierarchy led by Jalen Brunson. Brown is a proponent of sprays and next-play speed, but are players buying in? How has scoring changed from last year?

Examining the Knicks’ New Philosophy Under Mike Brown

Shooting Hierarchy

Brunson is the first option scorer whenever he is on the floor, and it doesn’t matter who’s out there with him. He’s the seventh-best scorer in the NBA with 28 points per game, while having the lowest assists per game in the top 10. Brunson can score in many ways and from anywhere, but there is another player used to being the first option.

Towns played for Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota for 3 seasons and last year in New York. His designation as a second option means playing off-ball more often and facilitating before attempting to score. His main strength is setting screens on the perimeter and popping for uncontested three-pointers. He can drive to the rim, but the results of those drives are mixed; sometimes drawing a foul, often committing an offensive foul, or hitting an and-one. 

OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges at the wings are a reliable source of versatile scoring every game. They can score in transition, the perimeter, or while driving to the rim. With KAT and Josh Hart consistently finding them in the outlet pass, scoring runs can pop off.

Can you call Deuce McBride a sixth man? He has split starting duties with Hart, but remains the most accurate and reliable perimeter shooter. It just so happens that Brunson overrides him in many close-out scenarios, especially in the playoffs.

Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson fill out the bench scorers that Brown feels confident playing, but Shamet has dealt with injury, and Clarkson can be a streaky shooter. Mitch Robinson and Hart are both opportunistic scorers who can make an impact, but you can’t reliably plan to feed them given the amount of touches remaining.

Sprays and Next Play Speed

Perimeter shooting is a modern necessity for an NBA team, and Brown leans into it. In press conferences, Brown will repeatedly mention sprays, collapsing the defense with a drive and then kicking it out to the open perimeter. Although McBride is the purest shooter on the team with a 20th-ranked 42% from three, most of the roster is capable of hitting an open shot. 

Another big component of Brown’s game plan is “next-play” speed; players reacting quickly and hustling to keep up with the flow of the game. The Knicks have been average in fastbreak points this season, but players like Hart and Bridges are deadly in transition. Add on top players like Towns, who can sling outlet passes from afar, and many Knicks players can score on the run. 

Scoring Compared to Last Season with Thibodeau