Knicks head coach Mike Brown might as well wear a lab coat and latex gloves instead of casual athletic attire while leading his team on the sidelines. He has become part scientist and part coach in tinkering with schematic formulas and lineup combinations in real time during games.
The Knicks were a middling 3-4 when they hosted the young 1-6 Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden last night. A week earlier in Chicago, the Bulls pushed the Knicks for a full 48 minutes. It took heroics by point guard Jalen Brunson and his game-high 38 points for the Knicks to eke out a 133-127 win. Then on Monday at MSG, the Brooklyn Nets, who were also a one-win squad when they faced the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center yesterday evening, tested the Knicks’ mental focus and mettle in New York’s 103-90 victory.
“I’ve been doing that quite a bit,” said Brown regarding his lineup shifts in his postgame press conference following the win against the Nets. “The sheet [pre-determined game lineups and substitutions] is just something that gives me a little direction or guidance going into the game for different combinations.
“Just have to go with your gut, who you think is playing well, and see if you can find the right combination. We ended up finding it, I think we had started taking off, we had Tyler Kolek on the floor, Landry [Shamet] might have been on the floor, OG, maybe Jordan Clarkson and KAT, they did a great job.”
The Knicks’ execution and attention to detail has been uncharacteristically spotty in the opening two and a half weeks of this season. Removing individual performances from the calculus, collectively, the Knicks have at once been disjointed and overpowering — the latter far less often than the former for a team with a standard of being a championship contender.
Brunson and center Karl-Anthony Town have All-Star numbers. Brunson was averaging a team-leading 24.6 points per game (12th in the league prior to last night) and Towns (20.3 points and 13.9 rebounds) led the NBA in double-doubles (7) prior to playing the Bulls. Additionally, do-it-all forward OG Anunoby was posting 16.4 points per game, only 0.3 points less than his 2025 regular season average.
Yet, the product thus far doesn’t approach the proficiency or efficiency that was established during the waning weeks of the 2025-2026 regular season and through the Finals. But reinforcements such as veteran guard Jordan Clarkson have been vital in grinding it out.
“I’ll say this about [Clarkson], I’ve been around some good teammates when it comes to players. He’s gotta be the best. He’s the definition of ultimate pro,” Brown passionately noted.
“You have a veteran that’s been there, done that, and he’s willing to accept the role that most guys wouldn’t accept. If he’s willing to accept it, which is what he did last year, and still try to uplift everybody and connect everybody while he’s going through what he’s going through, that’s the ultimate team player.”
The Knicks play the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road on Saturday and then face the Milwaukee Bucks at MSG next Tuesday.
