Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard Jamal Crawford controls the ball against New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Former Knicks Guard Praises Mike Brown Hire

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New York Knicks are entering a new era with Mike Brown as their head coach.

Brown replaces Tom Thibodeau, who spent five years leading the Knicks to four playoff appearances. NBA on NBC analyst and former Knicks guard Jamal Crawford thinks the move from Thibodeau to Brown was a smart one.

“I think they’ll have more energy because the ball will move more," Crawford said at an NBA on NBC event. "They won’t have the same responsibilities as far as making everything happen. They’ll have more energy for defense and everything else."

Brown is preaching for a more dynamic offense, which centers around ball movement and getting everyone involved. That system was one of the most successful in the league during his tenure with the Sacramento Kings, where he was the head coach from 2022-24.

“Everybody grows, everybody evolves,” Brown said via Newsday reporter Steve Popper. “My six years in Golden State, you can’t replicate what Steve Kerr and Draymond [Green] and Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson] and those guys do there or what they did during my time there. But try to take a lot from them and form my own system. I did it."

“I experimented with it when I was with the Nigerian national team. And then I took it to Sacramento and have run it for years. We feel confident in it. We feel confident teaching it. And we feel if you play a little bit of defense, that you put just as much pressure on your opponent offensively, that you’ll have a chance to win ballgames.”

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown speaks to the media during a media day press conference Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With Brown coming in to coach the Knicks, they know their time to win a championship is now, which adds some pressure in New York.

“I think they put more pressure on themselves than what we can do on the outside. They know this time doesn’t last forever," Crawford said. “If they stay healthy, and with coach Mike Brown and some fresh energy, I think this is their run.”

There are a lot of factors that will contribute to the successes and failures of the Knicks' season. Brown is a big one, but it will ultimately trickle down to everyone on the roster.

The more the team buys into Brown's system, the Knicks will have a chance to do some extraordinary things.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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