{"id":882119,"date":"2026-11-12T01:51:30","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T01:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/882119\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T01:51:30","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T01:51:30","slug":"knicks-continuity-is-helping-defense-dominate-and-counter-slow-offensive-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/882119\/","title":{"rendered":"Knicks’ continuity is helping defense dominate \u2014 and counter slow offensive start"},"content":{"rendered":"

Close to the end of Mike Brown\u2019s first regular season with the New York Knicks, the head coach revealed he had never made more in-season changes<\/a> before in his career. By early February, players and coaches alike were crediting Darren Erman \u2014\u00a0\u00a0holdover assistant from Tom Thibodeau\u2019s staff \u2014 for his work alongside defensive coordinator Brendan O\u2019Connor to revamp the team\u2019s defensive strategy.<\/p>\n

The ensuing playoff run stamped Brown\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 for good. The coach\u2019s adjustments, however, continued into (and helped spark) his team\u2019s historic championship run. Before Jalen Brunson was affirmed as a championship-level 1A, Karl-Anthony Towns a winner, and Leon Rose a preeminent expert<\/a> in every aspect of professional basketball, the Knicks trailed the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks \u2014 two games to one. An offensive lean into Karl-Anthony Towns\u2019 playmaking and a defensive lean into Josh Hart\u2019s on-ball defense turned things around.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s 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\u2019 offensive roles <\/a>and even the team\u2019s depth chart. On the defensive end of the floor, however, the Knicks have been a well-oiled machine through 10 games.<\/p>\n

Brown may continue to experiment <\/a>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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Knicks\u2019 defensive comfort is countering teams\u2019 familiarity with them<\/p>\n

The Knicks\u2019 offseason officially started when Mitchell Robinson signed a three-year contract with the Boston Celtics. The team\u2019s refusal to surpass the salary cap\u2019s apron<\/a> left them unable to compete in their defensive anchor\u2019s market.<\/p>\n

Leon Rose\u2019s 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Opponents, however, are still mostly familiar with exactly what New York is going to throw at them. But the Knicks\u2019 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\u2019s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, they had won four straight games \u2014 all by double digits.<\/p>\n

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