The New York Knicks are heading into the new season knowing one thing for certain: change is coming. With Mike Brown now patrolling the sidelines instead of Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks are expected to look — and play — very differently.
The most noticeable shift could come on the offensive end, where Brown has made it clear he wants his team to play with more pace.
“It better not (slow them down). They better run,” Brown said, per New York Post reporter Stefan Bondy. “These are the best athletes in the world in terms of team sports. And these guys can get out and run, so they’ll get out and run. We have to play faster, and we can play faster.”
Mike Brown admitted there were growing pains in preseason, with players occasionally looking “confused” as they adjusted to the quicker style. But he also stressed that the team got a real taste of what’s expected: “Our guys got a taste of how fast we need to play. And they know we still have to take it three or four more notches.”
From slowest in the league to middle of the pack?
Last year, the Knicks were one of the slowest teams in basketball, ranking 26th in pace. In fact, during the 2023-24 campaign, they were dead last with just 95.2 possessions per game — slower than the Celtics, Nets, Heat, and Magic.
By comparison, in Brown’s last full season with Sacramento, the Kings averaged 98.8 possessions per game, ranking 13th in the league. That’s the type of middle-ground pace Brown envisions for New York — not necessarily the fastest, but certainly much quicker than what Knicks fans have seen in recent years.
The harmony between defense and speed
Of course, there are difficulties in accelerating offensively. A quicker tempo can result in rushed shots, turnovers, and the possibility of being caught off guard. Brown knows this well and often speaks about finding balance — the ability to push the tempo without sacrificing the Knicks’ trademark toughness on defense.
That balance is what helped his Kings find success, and it’s what he hopes will unlock this Knicks roster.
A season of adjustments
The Knicks won’t transform overnight. Mike Brown and his players will spend the season searching for the right rhythm, figuring out when to run and when to slow it down. But if they can blend pace with defensive grit, the payoff could be huge.
“We’re going to keep pushing it,” Mike Brown said. “Because when we get it right, it’ll make us a tough team to beat.”
For a franchise looking to climb the Eastern Conference ladder, this stylistic change might be exactly what the Knicks need.
