Four ways new coach Mike Brown could change the Knicks' game plan

A period aft the New York Knicks elected to determination connected from manager Tom Thibodeau, who led the squad to their archetypal league finals successful a 4th century, the franchise is expected to prosecute two-time Coach of the Year Mike Brown, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. The Knicks and Brown -- who has antecedently guided the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings with a agelong tally arsenic the Golden State Warriors' subordinate caput manager -- are expected to scope an statement successful the coming days.

Knicks president Leon Rose made his expectations crystal wide successful the archetypal condemnation of his connection announcing Thibodeau's dismissal, stating: "Our enactment is singularly focused connected winning a title for our fans."

That is present the barroom Brown inherits. But a highly talented roster that volition beryllium 1 of the wide favorites successful a weakened Eastern Conference makes the expectations somewhat manageable -- for now. But what shifts volition Brown instrumentality successful hopes of taking this squad further than Thibodeau, who reached the playoffs successful 4 of his 5 seasons and led the Knicks back-to-back 50-win campaigns for the archetypal clip since the mid-1990s?

Here are 4 cardinal differences the 55-year-old Brown brings that Rose, squad proprietor Jim Dolan and the club's legion of fans are hoping tin usher New York backmost to the promised onshore aft 52 years of waiting.

A acold little ironclad rotation

Kings third-year helping Keon Ellis, a instrumentality favourite successful Sacramento due to the fact that of his antiaircraft impact, was conscionable 2 weeks removed from a career-best 33-point showing.

But connected Dec. 3, 1 crippled aft helium committed a vexation foul 90 feet from the handbasket that gave the San Antonio Spurs 2 escaped throws successful the last 2nd of a 4th -- the Kings would suffer that nighttime by 2 points -- Brown sat Ellis. In the pursuing game, Ellis played conscionable 2 minutes.

The underlying connection from Brown: Even with Ellis showing wide advancement successful his career, helium needed to beryllium smarter astir the margins.

It's worthy noting that Brown was evidently nether duress past season, peculiarly successful December earlier his firing. But betwixt the mode helium handled Ellis, and him opting to determination Kevin Huerter retired of the starting lineup aft the defender struggled successful the archetypal fractional of the season, Brown showed a willingness to shingle up his lineups; peculiarly if the Kings were mired successful a funk.

"Sometimes mixing it up whitethorn bring a amended extremity effect due to the fact that the pieces are antithetic successful presumption of the rotation and the pieces acceptable amended successful presumption of the rotation," Brown told reporters successful his last media league arsenic the Kings coach.

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That's evidently noteworthy arsenic Brown joins the Knicks, who past play leaned connected their starting 5 much than immoderate different squad successful the league. Setting speech the dense workload, New York's starting 5 of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby got outscored from Jan. 1 to the extremity of the regular season, past was outscored during the postseason.

That raises much questions astir the viability of keeping that radical unneurotic for specified agelong stretches, peculiarly erstwhile different lineups with reserves Deuce McBride and Mitchell Robinson subbed successful often performed amended due to the fact that of the other space, defence oregon rebounding they provided.

How Brown could bring immoderate of the Warriors discourtesy to New York

Like Thibodeau, Brown has agelong been seen arsenic 1 of the league's foremost antiaircraft minds.

But successful Sacramento, wherever helium coached aft his stint arsenic an adjunct with the Warriors, his offenses looked rather antithetic from what overmuch of the NBA was doing; peculiarly aboriginal successful his tenure with the Kings.

Aside from playing uptempo arsenic a effect of De'Aaron Fox's blistering speed, the squad besides utilized a handoff-heavy discourtesy with prima halfway Domantas Sabonis arsenic a hub and playmaker portion wings similar Huerter and Keegan Murray zoomed toward the ball, leaving opposing defenses exhausted and befuddled arsenic stoppers tried, and often failed, to get astir Sabonis' screens.

It was the epitome of gait and space. In immoderate ways, it was a originative saltation of what made those title-winning Warriors teams -- Brown was with the franchise for its 2017 and 2018 title runs -- truthful hard to stop. In Brown's archetypal season, the Kings broke their 16-year playoff drought down a flurry of 3-pointers and the champion violative ratio successful league past astatine the time, astatine 118.6 points per 100 possessions.

And having coached everyone from LeBron James to Kobe Bryant to Stephen Curry to Fox, Brown is nary alien to the thought of one-on-one hoops successful the clutch. Upon opening enactment with the Knicks, Brown volition person coached each 3 players -- Fox, Curry and Brunson -- that person won Clutch Player of the Year. (Having Brunson surely won't wounded there. The Kings, who were truthful bully successful choky games successful 2022-23, and decent successful 2023-24, had piled up a league-worst 13 clutch losses astatine the clip Brown was fto spell past season.)

Yet portion of what Brown volition beryllium tasked with successful New York is uncovering ways to get much retired of Bridges and Anunoby, who were No. 1 and No. 2 successful the NBA successful country 3-pointers attempted past season. They tin surely people and beryllium effectual from there, but with Bridges being 1 of the astir businesslike midrange players past year, and Anunoby having the carnal spot helium does, is that duo susceptible of doing much connected offense?

Similarly, what antagonistic volition Brown person erstwhile teams question to stifle Towns by guarding him with a quicker guardant -- similar the Detroit Pistons did against the Knicks successful the archetypal circular -- arsenic opposed to a center? Is it a lineup accommodation with the new-look bench, oregon is determination a strategy helium tin implement?

Brown has challenged his stars to play defense

Upon getting the Kings caput coaching occupation successful 2022, 1 of Brown's archetypal orders of concern was to talk with prima constituent defender De'Aaron Fox. It was a refresher of erstwhile helium coached Fox during an elite high-school hoops camp.

"I thought helium was going to beryllium a premier defender defensively due to the fact that of his quickness, athleticism and tenacity. His quality to defender the shot was unbelievable," Brown said successful an interrogation during his archetypal play successful Sacramento.

Brown made a constituent to archer Fox helium believed helium could go a large two-way subordinate astatine that constituent successful his vocation -- thing Fox showed astatine times during a 48-34 playoff season.

Brown evidently wasn't the archetypal NBA manager to propulsion that benignant of fastener -- the antheral helium coached nether with Golden State, Steve Kerr, utilized a akin attack with Stephen Curry erstwhile helium archetypal took implicit the Warriors successful 2015 en way to winning the archetypal of 4 titles. But the attack was interesting, and perchance made it worthy watching however Brown deals with Brunson, who was targeted relentlessly astatine times during the Knicks' tally to the league finals.

Brunson defended a full of 123 prime and rolls arsenic the screener defender against the Indiana Pacers during the six-game series, per Genius IQ. That was astir quadrupled from the twelvemonth before, erstwhile Brunson was forced to support conscionable 32 prime and rolls implicit seven semifinal games against Indiana.

Brunson doesn't person the athleticism oregon wingspan that Fox does and carried a disproportionately dense violative burden, handling the shot an NBA-high 8.6 minutes per crippled this past season. But Brown's thoughts astir however to utilize Brunson defensively -- particularly successful tandem with Towns, who besides was hunted connected defence done his archetypal play successful New York -- could spell a agelong mode successful determining erstwhile and whether the Knicks extremity their rubric drought.

Brown has criticized his players -- individually and publicly

In the postgame property league that followed Brown's last crippled arsenic the Kings manager -- a bitter 114-113 location nonaccomplishment to the Pistons, successful which Fox fouled Detroit's Jaden Ivey connected a game-winning 4-point play successful the closing seconds -- the manager gave reporters a step-by-step rundown of everything that the players did incorrect connected the deciding play.

"First of all, we told our guys: If idiosyncratic catches [the ball] and their backmost is to the basket, foul them. And past they dribbled for 8 seconds and we didn't foul them," Brown said. "The 2nd happening is, if you're up three, conscionable defender your feline astatine the three-point enactment [and disregard the drive]-there should beryllium nary close-out opportunity. No close-out opportunity. Because they cognize the lone happening that tin wounded america is simply a three."

Brown said he'd person to spell backmost and ticker the movie to recognize wherefore Fox lunged astatine Ivey. But helium added that determination should person been "no crushed for determination to beryllium a hard close-out" connected the play. (By contrast, pursuing a one-point Knicks' nonaccomplishment to Chicago past November, successful which Hart fouled Chicago's Coby White connected a 3-pointer successful the closing seconds, Thibodeau had a muted absorption erstwhile asked astir the play, presumably to debar saying thing captious of 1 of his starters.)

But the Detroit nonaccomplishment wasn't the lone clip Brown was publically captious oregon astatine slightest asking much of his players. Last preseason, for instance, aft defender Mason Jones committed a brace of careless, costly turnovers down the agelong of a scrimmage, Brown concluded the workout by shouting astatine his players; some astir being much detail-oriented, but besides astir players holding their teammates accountable to marque definite specified plays didn't happen.

Specifically, successful his media league with reporters soon aft that, helium called retired Fox, Sabonis and six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, saying they needed to beryllium the ones to telephone retired those mishaps. Whether bully oregon bad, it would look to people a quality from Thibodeau.

So galore questions look the Knicks' caller coach, and plentifulness much volition originate erstwhile the play begins. And based connected what the enactment has claimed arsenic its singular goal, astatine immoderate constituent we'll person a definitive reply astir whether Brown was the close prime to win Thibodeau.