The Knicks are figuring things out, and that should scare East rivals
The consensus heading into the NBA's 2025-26 campaign was that the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers were in a class of their own atop the Eastern Conference. After slow starts for both Finals hopefuls, one team is finally holding up its end of the bargain.
The Knicks are coalescing into the East juggernaut many envisioned, and that should strike fear into the hearts of New York's intraconference rivals.
Perhaps it was the emotional hangover of season-opening wins over the rival Cavs and Boston Celtics, but when the Knicks followed those victories with three straight losses - and four straight on the road to begin the year - it felt like the sky was falling. Was this squad really New York's best hope in decades of ending its 53-year title drought?
The answer remains an astounding yes, and we're now seeing why. The Knicks have won 15 of 19 games since falling to 2-3, sit second in the East, and take a top-four point differential into the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.
Head coach Mike Brown has quickly modernized an offensive approach that had grown stale, predictable, and a little archaic under Tom Thibodeau. The team is still 26th in pace, but its movement is more purposeful, with a noticeable infusion of off-ball activity. Brown may not have a Domantas Sabonis-sized playmaking hub like he did in Sacramento, but he's upped the Knicks' dribble-handoff frequency, and New York is creating more spot-up opportunities. Most of those catch-and-shoots are coming from the analytically friendly corners, where the Knicks lead the league in frequency of attempts, according to Cleaning The Glass.
The result is an offense that's rocketed from 27th to fifth in 3-point frequency year over year while decreasing its share of mid-range attempts from 12th-most last season to 24th this campaign. New York's overall jump from fifth to third in offensive efficiency may not seem like much, but if the process is to be trusted more than a small sample of results, this year's attack looks more sustainable and playoff-proof.
"We had a lot of injuries during the preseason, so I didn't have a good feel for this team or as good a feel as I needed to have," Brown told theScore after Tuesday's NBA Cup quarterfinal win over the Toronto Raptors. "That's a lot of the reason why we struggled on the road. Once I started getting comfortable, it helped the group get more comfortable."
Brown's offense has also proven to be more adaptable during games, with the victory in Toronto being a perfect example. The Raptors' pressure defense gave the Knicks issues early in the contest, leading to turnovers and confusion. Brown processed what he was seeing and simplified things for his players.
The coach explained: "We just said, 'Forget what we were supposed to be doing offensively. If they get up in you, just attack. Drive. If you can finish, go ahead and finish. If you draw two, go ahead and kick it. If we can set a high brush screen and look to attack their pressure, let's do that as well.'"
Of course, trusting your players is easier to do with a star like Jalen Brunson leading the way. He's averaging 28.3 points and 6.3 assists on 60% true shooting, and some encouraging underlying numbers suggest that Brown's offense should take less of a toll on the undersized guard.
Brunson's presence - and his two-man game with Karl-Anthony Towns - means the Knicks should always be capable of generating a makeable shot, even when postseason defenses bog Brown's system down.
The balance provided by Towns' spacing plus the two-way exploits of OG Anunoby and a revitalized Mikal Bridges give Brunson plenty of help. But it's do-it-all wing Josh Hart who's sparked New York's early-season turnaround.
Hart, who missed most of the preseason and the team's season opener with a back injury, was inserted into the starting lineup Nov. 24 in Brooklyn. Since then, the Knicks have won eight of nine, and the quintet of Hart, Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, and Towns has been the league's best big-minute lineup.
Hart is averaging 16.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and two steals as a starter. His shooting, in particular, has unlocked things for himself and his team. A 32% 3-point shooter over his first two seasons in New York, Hart is up to 39.8% on four attempts per game this season. That may not hold all year, but there's internal optimism that Hart's work with new Knicks shooting coach Peter Patton can make this more than just a hot streak.
"It's something vital to me to have a shooting coach here on staff that can work with me every single day," Hart told reporters in Toronto's visiting locker room. "Obviously, I had one before, but he lived in L.A., and then, I was playing 38 minutes a game, so it was tough to really focus on the mechanics. Now, with Pete, I'm able to work on the mechanics every day, even if it's just a little bit. It's a feeling of repetition."
The starting lineup looks terrific, and the team's bench should stabilize once sidelined shooters Miles McBride (ankle) and Landry Shamet (shoulder) return.
Unless your favorite team resides in Oklahoma City, there will always be flaws to nitpick. Towns is still prone to head-scratching decisions in big moments. Center Mitchell Robinson, whose rebounding and defense are valuable additions to the group, can be played off the floor when opposing coaches expose his unfathomably wretched free-throw shooting. Meanwhile, offseason additions Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele haven't added to the team's depth the way they were expected to.
Still, the Knicks are now living up to their lofty preseason projections. This team is elite with plenty more to offer, according to its coach.
"I know it sounds crazy, but we still have a lot of room to grow on both sides of the floor," Brown said of his 17-7 team, which owns top-10 marks in offensive and defensive efficiency. "It will be interesting when we get there."
"Interesting" might not be the word opponents would use. "Scary" is more like it.
Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.