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

Mike Brown Shares Secret to New Knicks Offense

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New York Knicks are running a different offense with new head coach Mike Brown in charge.

Brown takes over for Tom Thibodeau, who spent the last five seasons on the bench for the Knicks. Brown has a very different philosophy on offense than Thibodeau does, wanting to play faster than the Knicks did with the previous coaching staff.

Brown explained what the Knicks need to do in order to play fast.

“In my opinion, you just have to be mentally tough," Brown said via Newsday reporter Steve Popper.

"Because anybody can run fast in this league in my opinion because these are the best athletes in the world. Now, there might be some guys that are faster than others. But if you have the mental toughness to consistently do it 10 out of 10 times you’ll be a guy who is faster three out of 10 times. And I love the toughness of our guys mentally, so to see that come to light is a fun thing to watch. We’re still learning, though. It’s hard. It’s not as easy as what a lot of people say. But all our guys I think will get there.”

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

Brown's current offensive mindset stems from his time with the Golden State Warriors from 2016-22. He was able to see what one of the greatest offenses in league history was able to do up close, winning three championships and attending four NBA Finals in six seasons.

“Everybody grows, everybody evolves,” Brown said via 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.”

Now, it's up to Brown to translate that Golden State offense into what New York has now with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns leading the way.

It won't be an exact match to what Steph and Klay were able to do as the "Splash Brothers," but elements of that should help the Knicks go where they want to go.

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

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