Close to the end of Mike Brown’s first regular season with the New York Knicks, the head coach revealed he had never made more in-season changes before in his career. By early February, players and coaches alike were crediting Darren Erman — holdover assistant from Tom Thibodeau’s staff — for his work alongside defensive coordinator Brendan O’Connor to revamp the team’s defensive strategy.
The ensuing playoff run stamped Brown’s résumé for good. The coach’s adjustments, however, continued into (and helped spark) his team’s historic championship run. Before Jalen Brunson was affirmed as a championship-level 1A, Karl-Anthony Towns a winner, and Leon Rose a preeminent expert in every aspect of professional basketball, the Knicks trailed the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks — two games to one. An offensive lean into Karl-Anthony Towns’ playmaking and a defensive lean into Josh Hart’s on-ball defense turned things around.
The team’s performance over their next 16 games washed away any and all concerns. And now, Brown has some room to play with. As New York has begun its defense of its 2026 NBA title, the coach is experimenting with players’ offensive roles and even the team’s depth chart. On the defensive end of the floor, however, the Knicks have been a well-oiled machine through 10 games.
Brown may continue to experiment with schemes. His players will get increasingly tired, and susceptible to mistakes, as the regular season progresses. The fundamentals of the defensive scheme his staff landed on by February, though, have been baked into every returning player on the roster.
Knicks’ defensive comfort is countering teams’ familiarity with them
The Knicks’ offseason officially started when Mitchell Robinson signed a three-year contract with the Boston Celtics. The team’s refusal to surpass the salary cap’s apron left them unable to compete in their defensive anchor’s market.
Leon Rose’s front office eventually pivoted to Andre Drummond. Other than the Mount Vernon native, though, the Knicks have returned the rest of their championship-winning rotation. Sure, Tyler Kolek is keeping things interesting for Jose Alvarado with his play off the bench. Brown is experimenting with some different offensive looks, giving players like OG Anunoby leeway to create their own offense.
Opponents, however, are still mostly familiar with exactly what New York is going to throw at them. But the Knicks’ defensive excellence has allowed them to keep a leg up on the competition (for the most part). After the 0-3 start to the season, the team won six of their next seven. And going into Wednesday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, they had won four straight games — all by double digits.
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