The New York Knicks reportedly named Mike Brown as their new head coach because he expressed a willingness to take input from other voices within the organization. Shams Charania of ESPN stated on July 2 that the Knicks organization felt that Mike Brown is open to a collaborative process when making basketball decisions.
“I’m told two factors played into the Knicks’ decision to land on Mike Brown as the head coach. They felt as a collaborator, someone that’s adaptable with all levels of the organization, the front office, to the players, they felt on all levels, he would collaborate well”.
Although Shams’ information is coming from a valid source, the narrative that Brown will be a collaborative partner has been significantly overblown. Mike Brown has spent the last nine seasons on coaching staffs that utilize big men as the catalyst to initiate offensive positions.
Mike Brown was an assistant coach on the Golden State Warriors for six straight seasons from the 2016-17 to 2021-22 seasons. During his tenure with the Golden State Warriors, the team ran a ball movement offense, averaging 318.6 passes per game, which was third in the league.
Golden State: Draymond Green as the Catalyst
The Warriors would frequently place power forward Draymond Green between the elbow and the three-point line to begin their ball movement sequences. On February 16, 2022, Green positioned himself near the right elbow with eleven minutes to go in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets. Green stayed there for a few seconds as Stephen Curry dribbled the ball up to the court.
Once Curry got to the three-point line, he passed the ball to Green. Upon receiving the ball, Green immediately initiated a dribble handoff with Curry. The possession ended with Curry going over a screen set by Green and driving to the basket to miss a floater.
Green’s role with the catalyst behind him ranking second on the team in touches per game, averaging 73.3. Golden State’s decision to use Green on the ball opened the door for him to lead the team in passes per game, averaging 61.
The 61 passes contributed to Green averaging 7.3 assists per game during these six seasons, the number one on the team. After the 2021 season, Mike Brown left the Golden State Warriors to become the head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
Sacramento: Sabonis Became a Star Under Mike Brown
During his two-plus seasons in Sacramento, he ran a ball movement offense, as the team averaged 298.5 passes per game, sixth in the league. Similar to the Golden State Warriors, the Kings would place a big man between the elbow and the three-point line.
On January 9, 2023, Kevin Huerter dribbled the ball up to the three-point line on the left wing with 10:17 to go in the first quarter against the Orlando Magic. He stayed there until Domantas Sabonis reached the top of the key to pass the ball to him.
Once Sabonis got the ball, he initiated a half-hearted dribble handoff sequence with Huerter. He performed a lazy bounce pass and turned his body to get into screen position. Huerter picked up the ball and went over the screen to shoot and make a three-pointer.
Domantas Sabonis’ role led him to average a career high in touches per game under Mike Brown, averaging 83. The increased touches gave him more opportunities to pass the ball, as he led the Kings in passes per game, averaging a career high of 63.6. Due to this role. Domantas Sabonis posted career highs in points and assists under Mike Brown, averaging 20.2 points per game with 6.8 assists.
New York: Why Karl-Anthony Towns Will Be Next
Given Mike Brown’s previous track record, it is reasonable to assume that Karl-Anthony Towns will see a significant increase in his touches and passing opportunities. Consequently, I expect him to have his best offensive season of his career, as he will be the engine for the New York Knicks’ offense. For context, Karl-Anthony Towns’ best offensive season to date was the 2019-20 season.
During that season, he averaged 69.5 touches and 45.3 passes per game. These statistics helped him average 26.5 points, shooting 50.8% on 17.8 attempts per game. He complemented his scoring prediction by averaging 10.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
If my assessment is correct, towns will post statistics that put him in the Most Valuable Player conversation for the 2025-26 season.
Leave a ReplyCancel reply