Dec 11, 2022; New York, New York, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown looks on during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images John Jones-Imagn Images

Mike Brown Addresses Knicks' Minutes Monster

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 1:00 PM ET

A New York minute might take on a whole new meaning with the New York Knicks under a fresh regime.

How the Knicks handle their workloads will certainly be under a larger microscope now that noted minutes monger Tom Thibodeau is no longer in charge. In his place is Mike Brown, who addressed the 60-second elephant in the room as his team prepared for a pair of Abu Dhabi exhibitions against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“The biggest thing is trying to make sure you watch everybody’s minutes instead of trying to chase games," Brown said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. "There might be some games where maybe you throw the towel in early. It’s important to win, but you also have to understand, ‘Hey, I want to keep this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, instead of trying to extend everybody’s minutes. Because if the season is long, we don’t want anybody worn out by the end.”

Mike Brown Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Thibodeau was well know for riding his starters to the literal bitter end: while never one to complain about extended opportunities and doing whatever the team asks of him, Josh Hart admitted that he "didn’t have anything left in the tank" by the time sixth and final Eastern Conference Finals game against the Indiana Pacers rolled around.

Knicks fans need little reminder of Thibodeau's expansive shifts: Hart was second only to teammate Mikal Bridges in total minutes played last season while OG Anunoby was also in the top 10. All five regular Knick starters, with that trio joined by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, ranked in the top 20 in minutes per game.

Brown admitted that one of the most, if not the most, notorious defeats in NBA history is playing a role in his approach. A successful tenure as Steve Kerr's lieutenant in Golden State began in 2016, shortly after the Warriors won an NBA record 73 games in the regular season before bowing out in a seven-game set against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"From that point on, that’s when (Kerr) was like, ‘I’m not going to chase it anymore,’” Brown recalled in Bondy's report. “If we get it, we get it, but I got to make sure for Steph [Curry], if we want him to only play 35 minutes or average 35 minutes a game, then that’s what he’s going to average."

True to Brown's point, Curry has not averaged more than 34.7 minutes per game since that bittersweet campaign and has won three more titles, all under Brown's partial supervision. He'll now look to duplicate such success in a larger role with the Knicks, who have retained every bit of the core that reached last year's final four.

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

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