Welcome to the first installment of Catching Strays, the New York Daily News’ daily rundown on all things Knicks. Every day you’ll get the news, the quotes and the context from the biggest Knicks and NBA storylines overnight.

Today: Mike Brown’s warning against complacency, his challenge to Mikal Bridges, and Stephen A. Smith’s front-office question, with some notes on the Karl-Anthony Towns-Josh Hart extension situation plus tidbits from around the league.

LAST YEAR DOESN’T COUNT

Before Thursday’s preseason game against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden, Brown said the biggest threat to his team is complacency.

“The biggest thing is continuing to make sure we don’t have any slippage in our process,” Brown said.

Brown included himself.

“This is a new season, a new team with new challenges, and you hope you can improve all year knowing you’re gonna take a step back every once in a while,” he said. “I know that because we’re all human including myself, I have to be really conscious of making sure that none of us rely on last year to get us through this year.”

No NBA team has repeated as an NBA champion since the Stephen Curry-Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors won back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. The Knicks became the eighth different team to win the NBA title, joining the Oklahoma City Thunder (2025), Boston Celtics (2024), Denver Nuggets (2023), the Warriors again (2022), Milwaukee Bucks (2021), Los Angeles Lakers (2020), and Toronto Raptors (2019).

The Knicks are the co-favorites to win the Eastern Conference along with the Philadelphia 76ers, reloaded with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are co-favorites to win it all.

GET TO THE RACK

Mike Brown also wants Bridges finishing over the top, not living on pull-up, close-range twos. After Wednesday’s practice in Tarrytown, he explained why.

“A lot of times he’s got a smaller guy on him, and as quick and long and athletic as he is, if he’s efficient with his move to the rim it’s too late for that big or for the help to get there, because he can still finish over the top,” Brown said. “So I would like him to add some more of that to this game as opposed to just relying on the pullup. But he’s been great with the pullup in terms of efficiency and decision-making, so just add the ability to finish at the rim at times, which it looks like he’s starting to be more conscious of.”

Brown also shot down the notion that a lack of free throw attempts is an indictment on Bridges’ impact on the offensive end: “I don’t want anybody driving thinking, ‘I need to get to the line,’” he said. “I want him driving to score the bucket or to collapse the D.”

Whether Bridges attacks the basket was a hot-button question all of last season. He averaged 1.2 free throw attempts a game, down from 3.9 in his last season in Brooklyn, per Basketball Reference. But in the playoffs, from Game 6 of the first round on, he made 28 of 32 shots in the restricted area.

STEPHEN A: KNICKS’ FRONT OFFICE STILL AWAITING CONTRACT EXTENSIONS

Smith wants to know where the extensions are for the men who built New York City’s champion, and he’s pointing at Knicks owner James Dolan.

“Where the hell is the extension for Leon Rose?” Smith said Tuesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” He asked the same about William “World Wide Wes” Wesley, then added: “World Wide Wes and Leon Rose ended a 53-year drought and brought a championship to New York.”

Rose’s and Wesley’s contract terms have never been made public. Dolan hired Rose as team president in Feb. 2020, and Wesley joined as executive vice president and senior basketball advisor the ensuing June.

KAT AND HART: WHAT’S NEW

The Daily News laid out the Knicks’ reported offer to Karl-Anthony Towns, four years and about $200 million, against his $276 million maximum on Monday.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania tied Josh Hart’s extension to Towns’ because of Dolan’s second-apron line, and floated both as trade candidates if talks drag toward February.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

EuroLeague’s 13 shareholder clubs rejected the NBA’s Europe offer Tuesday and converted their licenses into franchises, according to the Associated Press. Jeanie Buss’ five siblings filed an opposition to her petition to block the Lakers sale, calling it “legally and factually baseless,” according to the LA Times. Former Brooklyn Net Kyrie Irving returns Friday in Macao, 19 months after his ACL tear.