New York hosts another preseason game today, but it’s questionable if that also includes hosting a professional basketball opponent or not.
The Knicks go against the Mighty Wiz in their second-to-last game of the exhibition tour, and things should start to click on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor with the season-opening tip-off right around the corner.
Here’s what we’ve heard from Coach Brown and a few other Knickerbockers leading up to the Wiz game.
On Josh Hart’s status and the need for him to catch up with the rest of the team:
“He’s practiced a few times, played in one game. So you have a feel of what you’re going to get from Josh.
“But the tough part about it is because what we’re doing is new, and he hasn’t gone through it, he’s a little behind in that regard.
“But he’s got a great feel, has watched us enough, he should be able to jump in. He might be a few steps behind, but he should be able to catch up quickly with the guys.”
On Monday’s preseason playing time:
“I don’t know. I’m gonna make a decision tomorrow.
“We still wanna take a look at some guys. The more minutes I can get guys, the better for us to make decisions, but I’m not 100 percent sure.”
On final roster spot candidates:
“You want me to give you my answer right now?
“You think I should tell them first?”
On Brogdon, Shamet, and Mathews:
“I’ll tell you what: both [Brogdon and Shamet] have been a pleasant surprise. I’ll also say Garrison Mathews has been a pleasant surprise, too.
“We have some really good veterans in camp, and they all have played exceptionally well, and it’s gonna be a tough decision for us. I know that much because they all have earned the right to be on our team, the way that they’re not only playing in games but especially in practices.
“They’re bringing it in practice, and most of them are veterans, so they’re not just bringing it as players. They’re bringing it in a leadership role, too.”
On Mitchell Robinson’s game:
“First of all, he’s a great runner. Not a good runner, a great runner.
“And he’s got, like all of us, to play at this pace, all the time. We just don’t want to do it most of the time. We want to do it all the time.
“Having said that, you know Mitch is a vertical threat. I’m guessing off the top of my head that he might be the best vertical threat I’ve been around. Antonio McDyess was a tremendous vertical threat. You could just close your eyes and throw it up and he’d go get it. That’s something you can do with Mitch. Some of the passes — I’m like, dang, that’s a bad pass — and he just like catches it even with one hand sometimes and throws it down.
“So with his ability to be a vertical threat, it’s going to help us in a lot of ways, but it is definitely better than what I thought coming in.”
On the Towns-Robinson pairing:
“It just brings a different dimension.”
On gaining positional versatility and size by deploying the KAT-Mitch pair:
“The second [part] is just the length, the length on the floor is just unbelievable, when you’re playing KAT at the 4, playing OG [Anunoby] at the 3, Mikal [Bridges] at the 2.
“That’s a big, long team, with a lot of interchangeable parts. And then offensively, not just for KAT, but for the rest of the group, it just gives you a different look. You’d think that group should be able to offensive rebound at a high level, which is one of our staples.”
On first impressions of Robinson’s personality and skills:
“He’s been impressive. You don’t really know guys until you get around them.
“Most impressive thing is he’s got a collection of monster trucks, they’re out of this world. He drove a blue one yesterday. Before I saw him in my rearview mirror, I heard him playing country music. His monster trucks are impressive. It’s unique to see a guy have a hobby that’s different than everybody else around him. So that tells me a little bit about his personality right there. He’s got a great personality.
“Obviously, basketball-wise, you think he’s athletic, but some of the lobs that he catches are just amazing. And then you know he’s got good feet and he can switch on to certain guys, but to actually see him sit down and step-slide and guard guys, all that other stuff, it’s pretty impressive.
“You know, he’s been a pleasure to be around and he is definitely a lot better than you think from the outside, knowing that he’s already a really good player. But he also has some personality to him that makes him unique.”
On free-throw adjustments for the 2025-26 season:
“I noticed every time I shot it, it would go left. So then I put my left foot in front of the guideline, and I kind of scooted over a little bit.
“Actually, it kind of works for me. One dribble then go right to it.”
On his goals at the line this season:
“I want to be better than last year. Those are extra points.”
On conditioning for Mike Brown’s fast-paced system:
“I ran up a lot of hills.
“A lot of hills in Tennessee, some in my backyard.”
“When you’re playing with two bigs, it’s going to be exciting to see.
“We did a little bit of it last year and we had success with it. So, we’re going to see how it goes from there.”
On the increase in three-point attempts under Brown:
“I think it’s just the more we’re playing.
“I think it’s the fast pace of the game, us driving, kicking out for open 3s. Swing, swing drive again. I think it’s just, ‘you’re open, you shoot it.’”
On his 40-point game vs. the Kings:
“I just remember that game. I think I was about to break a record for most points off the bench in under 25 minutes. They told me during the game. Everyone was telling me to keep shooting. I was passing and trying to win the game.”
On the meaning of winning Sixth Man of the Year a few years back:
“It’s just validation around the league. It shows my abilities and the love from my peers and coaches.”
On his relationship with Spike Lee:
“Spike and I are actually good now.
“It helps that the Pacers won both of [the last two playoff meetings]. I don’t have to hear his mouth as much, but he and I are at a much better place than we were 30 years ago.”
On Carmelo Anthony’s Knicks jersey retirement:
“That’s a no-brainer. It should be in the rafters.
“There shouldn’t be any thinking [about it]. He’s a Hall of Famer, he’s one of the top 15 scores in our game. That’s that’s a no-brainer.”
On broadcasting with NBC:
“Being on this side of it, there’ll be some young player, 15, 20, 30 years down the road, saying some of my best moments happened when Reggie Miller was calling my games.
“That’s kind of cool for me to be in those type of shoes.”