Knicks HC Mike Brown's comments immediately differentiate him from his predecessor

"I try to play as many guys as I can," he added.

While the Knicks experienced success not seen since the turn of the century under Thibodeau, his reliance on his starters and failure to cultivate depth contributed to his downfall. Last season, starters OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns played by far the most minutes of any five-man lineup in the NBA (940). Per StatMuse, the Knicks' bench averaged 63.5 minutes per game, the fewest in the NBA, despite ranking ninth in bench plus-minus (354).

New York went 51-31 last season, posting back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since 1991-95 and appearing in its first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000. With several other top conference contenders, including the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, losing All-NBA caliber talent to injuries, the door is open for the Knicks to claim the East this season. While Thibodeau might have been able to lead the Knicks there, it was fair to question the sustainability of his approach. 

Per ESPN Bet, only the Cleveland Cavaliers (+225) have shorter odds to win the Eastern Conference in 2025-26 than the Knicks (+280), who are tied with the Denver Nuggets for the league's fifth-highest over-under win total (53.5).

Knicks bolstered depth with key offseason additions

Brown's commitment to playing nine to 10 players could make New York more dangerous, keeping the starting rotation fresher for the postseason while also developing rotation players in case they might be needed to serve as fill-ins. This offseason, the Knicks added 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year shooting guard Jordan Clarkson and former Philadelphia 76ers power forward Guerschon Yabusele in free agency.

Clarkson will provide an instant scoring punch. Last year, Clarkson appeared in 37 games, including 28 appearances off the bench, and averaged 16.2 points per game, shooting 40.8 percent, including 36.2 percent on 6.3 three-point attempts per game. Yabusele averaged 27.1 minutes in 70 games (43 starts) for the Sixers last season and set career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and field-goal percentage.

The Knicks should benefit from a healthy center, Mitchell Robinson, who was limited to 17 games last season while recovering from an ankle injury in May 2024, as well as continued growth from point guard Miles McBride, 25, the team's top backcourt reserve a season ago.

The 10th spot in the rotation is up for grabs, with second-year pros Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek needing to make leaps for either to carve out a consistent role. But each could get a more legitimate opportunity under Brown than they would have had with Thibodeau. Whether they pursue the potential opportunity is up to them.

As close as the Knicks came to winning the East last season, falling in six games to the Pacers in the conference finals, they might only need some minor adjustments to advance to the next stage. Brown trusting the team's depth could do the trick.