Knicks Coach Addresses Baby Steps During Win Streak

Mike Brown's first two weeks on the job were always going to be as scrutinized as any performance from one of his contributing players. After all, he was the biggest-name coach to find a new team this summer, and he had a big role to fill in following up fellow 2x Coach of the Year winner Tom Thibodeau while taking over for a team directly coming off of an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.

His 2-3 start to the season raised a few eyebrows, but fans had to understand the position he was in. One of the elements of Thibodeau's job performance that did him arrived through the uncreative offenses he continuously trotted out, often hampering the Knicks' winning odds as they continued adding talent across the Jalen Brunson era.

Now that his starters are healthy and ready to grow together, his offensive principled have begun transforming into wins. The Knicks have won four straight since that three-game losing streak, and they've put together one of the best offenses in the sport since Brown gained a better understanding of how to use the pieces at his disposal.

“We hadn't been together long," the coach said. "I'll be the first to admit: I didn't know when to put Josh [Hart] in, when to take him out. I didn't know when to put Mitch [Robinson] in, when to take him out, you know, I was still figuring out our rotations, and how we're going to play, and all that other stuff."

Brown's Offensive Fixes

The decision to remove longtime starter Hart for Robinson not only consolidated their defense, inserting one of the league's most impactful offensive rebounders into the opening lineup, but also opened the floor up for the four bona fide shooters lining the perimeter with Robinson in the middle.

Their 121.6 offensive rating sits just 0.1 points per possession behind the Houston Rockets for the league lead. They're lining 42.4 3-pointers up per game and shooting 38.3% on those looks, good for the seventh-highest efficiency in the league and the second-most makes per night at 16.4. Compare that to last season, when their 12.6 average swishes finished as the seventh-worst mark in the NBA.