Approximately one month after the New York Knicks parted ways with coach Tom Thibodeau, who had guided the team to its first conference finals appearance in 25 years, the franchise is expected to appoint two-time Coach of the Year Mike Brown. Sources indicate an agreement between the Knicks and Brown, whose extensive coaching background includes stints leading the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings, along with a significant tenure as the Golden State Warriors` associate head coach, is anticipated in the coming days.
Knicks president Leon Rose left no ambiguity regarding the organization`s ambition in his statement announcing Thibodeau`s departure, declaring: “Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans.”
This championship objective now becomes Brown`s primary challenge. However, inheriting a highly talented roster widely considered a strong contender in a less formidable Eastern Conference makes these expectations somewhat achievable, at least initially. But what strategic adjustments will Brown implement in his quest to elevate this team beyond where Thibodeau reached, after Thibodeau successfully led the Knicks to the playoffs in four of his five seasons and achieved consecutive 50-win campaigns for the first time since the mid-1990s?
Here are four potential key distinctions the 55-year-old Brown brings, differences that Rose, team owner Jim Dolan, and the team`s dedicated fanbase hope will finally propel New York back to glory after a 52-year wait.
A More Flexible Player Rotation
Even after Sacramento Kings third-year forward Keon Ellis, a fan favorite noted for his defensive prowess, had recently delivered a career-high 33-point game, Coach Brown opted to bench him. This decision came just one game after Ellis committed a frustrating foul far from the basket in the final second of a quarter, leading to free throws for the San Antonio Spurs in a game the Kings lost by two points. In the subsequent game, Ellis played only two minutes.
Brown`s underlying message was clear: despite clear development in his career, Ellis needed to exhibit greater discipline. While it`s worth noting Brown faced significant pressure last season, particularly around December before his eventual dismissal, his handling of the Ellis situation and his choice to move Kevin Huerter out of the starting lineup after early-season struggles demonstrated a willingness to alter lineups, especially if the team was underperforming.
“Sometimes mixing it up may bring a better end result because the pieces are different in terms of the rotation and the pieces fit better in terms of the rotation,” Brown remarked in his final press conference as the Kings coach.
This approach is particularly relevant as Brown takes over the Knicks, who last season relied on their starting five more heavily than any other team in the league. Beyond the sheer minutes played, New York`s starting unit of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby was outscored from January 1st through the end of the regular season, and again in the postseason.
This raises questions about the effectiveness of deploying that unit for such extended periods, especially when alternative lineups featuring reserves like Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson often performed more effectively due to the additional spacing, defense, or rebounding they provided.
Brown Could Introduce a Distinct Pace-and-Space Offensive Style to New York
Like his predecessor Thibodeau, Brown has long been recognized as one of the NBA`s top defensive strategists.
However, in Sacramento, where he coached following his successful stint as an assistant with the Warriors, his offensive system differed notably from many other teams, particularly during his initial tenure with the Kings. Capitalizing on De`Aaron Fox`s explosive speed, the team played at a high tempo. Furthermore, they utilized a handoff-heavy scheme centered around star big man Domantas Sabonis as a primary hub and playmaker. Wings such as Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray would sprint towards the ball, leaving opposing defenses scrambling and frequently unable to navigate around Sabonis` screens.
This system was a prime example of pace and space offense. In many ways, it served as a creative adaptation of the principles that made the championship-winning Warriors teams—where Brown was an assistant during their 2017 and 2018 title runs—so challenging to defend. In Brown`s first season, the Kings ended their 16-year playoff drought, fueled by prolific 3-point shooting and what was then the league`s most efficient offense in history, scoring 118.6 points per 100 possessions.
Having coached elite players from LeBron James and Kobe Bryant to Stephen Curry and De`Aaron Fox, Brown is comfortable with relying on one-on-one brilliance in crucial moments. Upon joining the Knicks, Brown will have coached three players—Fox, Curry, and Brunson—who have earned the Clutch Player of the Year award. While the Kings performed well in close games in 2022-23 and respectably in 2023-24, they had accumulated a league-worst 13 clutch losses when Brown was dismissed last season. Having Jalen Brunson should significantly improve the Knicks` performance in these situations.
Nevertheless, one of Brown`s key tasks in New York will be figuring out how to maximize the offensive contributions of Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, who ranked first and second in the NBA in corner 3-point attempts last season. While they are effective scorers from the corners, Bridges was also one of the most efficient midrange scorers last season, and Anunoby possesses considerable physical strength. Can this duo expand their offensive repertoire?
Similarly, how will Brown counteract teams that attempt to neutralize Towns by guarding him with a quicker forward, as the Detroit Pistons did against the Knicks in the first round, rather than a traditional center? Will this necessitate a lineup adjustment using the reconfigured bench, or does Brown have a specific scheme in mind?
Brown Has Challenged His Star Players to Improve Defensively
Upon taking the Kings head coaching position in 2022, one of Mike Brown`s initial actions was to speak with De`Aaron Fox, revisiting their time together at an elite high school basketball camp.
“I thought he was going to be a premier guard defensively because of his quickness, athleticism and tenacity. His ability to guard the ball was unbelievable,” Brown commented in an interview during his first season in Sacramento.
Brown made a conscious effort to tell Fox that he had the potential to develop into a great two-way player, a potential Fox demonstrated at times during the team`s 48-34 playoff season.
Brown is certainly not the first NBA coach to employ this motivational tactic; Steve Kerr, under whom Brown coached with Golden State, utilized a similar approach with Stephen Curry when Kerr initially took over the Warriors in 2015, leading to their first of four championships. This approach is interesting and makes observing how Brown interacts with Jalen Brunson particularly noteworthy, especially given how frequently Brunson was targeted defensively during the Knicks` recent playoff run to the conference finals.
According to Genius IQ, Brunson was the screener defender in 123 pick-and-roll situations against the Indiana Pacers during their six-game conference finals series. This figure is nearly four times the number from the previous year, when Brunson was forced to defend only 32 pick-and-rolls over *seven* semifinal games against Indiana.
Brunson lacks the same athleticism or wingspan as Fox and shouldered an exceptionally heavy offensive load last season, handling the ball for an NBA-leading 8.6 minutes per game. However, Brown`s strategic ideas regarding how to utilize Brunson defensively—especially when paired with Towns, who also faced defensive targeting throughout his inaugural season in New York—could significantly impact whether the Knicks can ultimately end their championship drought.
Brown Has Criticized His Players – Both Individually and Publicly
In the postgame press conference following Brown`s final game as Kings coach—a narrow 114-113 home defeat to the Pistons where De`Aaron Fox fouled Detroit`s Jaden Ivey on a game-winning four-point play in the closing moments—Brown provided reporters with a detailed breakdown of his players` errors on the decisive play.
“First of all, we told our guys: `If somebody catches [the ball] and their back is to the basket, foul them.` And then they dribbled for eight seconds and we didn`t foul them,” Brown explained. “The second thing is, if you`re up three, just guard your guy at the 3-point line [and ignore the drive] — there should be no closeout opportunity. No closeout opportunity. Because they know the only thing that can hurt us is a 3.”
Brown stated he would need to review the film to fully understand why Fox lunged at Ivey, but reiterated that there should have been “no reason for there to be a hard closeout” on that specific play. This contrasts with, for example, Coach Thibodeau`s restrained reaction following a one-point loss to Chicago the previous November, when Josh Hart fouled Coby White on a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. Thibodeau`s response was notably muted when questioned about the play, presumably to avoid public criticism of one of his starters.
The loss to Detroit was not the only instance where Brown offered public criticism or demanded more from his players. For example, during the previous preseason, after guard Mason Jones committed two careless and costly turnovers late in a scrimmage, Brown ended the practice session by loudly addressing his players about the importance of attention to detail and holding teammates accountable to prevent such mistakes.
Specifically, in his subsequent media availability, he called out De`Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan by name, stating they were responsible for highlighting these errors. Whether this approach is ultimately beneficial or detrimental, it appears to represent a clear difference from Tom Thibodeau`s style.
Many questions surround the Knicks` new head coach, and certainly more will emerge once the season commences. Based on the organization`s stated singular objective, the ultimate verdict on whether Mike Brown was the correct choice to succeed Tom Thibodeau will eventually become unequivocally clear.